PAS says meeting Lim as difficult as meeting Koh

PAS national land bureau chief Mazlan Aliman has lamented that it is difficult for the party leaders to meet Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng over cases of eviction of Malay villagers.

 

He said that this was what led to Penang PAS delegate and treasurer Iszuree Ibrahim’s speech at the PAS’ muktamar at Batu Pahat on Sept 19.

 

To back his claim, Mazlan (left in pic) cited the case of Kg Mutiara in Teluk Bahang where PAS leaders tried to meet Lim to discuss the eviction case of its villagers since July 23 last year.

 

"We sent a letter more than a year ago but until today have failed to meet him about the case," Mazlan said in a press conference in Penang yesterday, showing reporters a copy of the letter.

 

"We have tried every effort to meet with him but failed. It was the same during the reign of former chief minister Koh Tsu Koon," he added, referring to the CM during BN's administration. 

 

As such, he said, it is not true that PAS did not use the proper channel or raise these issues internally first before going public, as claimed by PKR de facto leader Anwar Ibrahim.

 

"Yet until today, we did not get to meet Lim. So we brought it up at the muktamar. DAP and PKR also have their annual congress where they raise the rakyat's problems, so why can't PAS do it?" Mazlan queried.

 

Mazlan, however, conceded that party leaders have met with Deputy Chief Minister I Rashid Hasnon, former DCM Mansor Othman and state cabinet member Abdul Malik Kassim to discuss the issue of 'tanah wakaf'.

 

He cautioned the state government not to take lightly the issue of eviction as Malay villagers have no alternative housing when they are vacated from their land.

 

But it is not only private land which is plagued by eviction problems, Mazlan said.

 

He cited the case of Kg Selut in Sg Pinang where residents face eviction from a state government land.

 

"So what is the role of the state government here?" he asked.

 

"We are highlighting these issues to strengthen the state government and to keep it from continuing BN's past legacy of evicting Malay villagers," Mazlan said.

 

"We just want to protect the integrity of the state government."

 

‘Most land acquired are from Malay villages’

 

Mazlan said one cannot deny the Malays and to a lesser extent, the Indians and Siamese are victims of development since BN administration, prior to March 2008.

 

"I don't intend to play with racial sentiments but the situation is such - most of the land acquired for development are those with Malay villages," he said.

 

Mazlan said PAS central committee is prepared to meet with the state government to discuss the issues raised in the party's memorandum to Lim in July which includes the topic of land and eviction.

 

As such, he suggested that the best way to address these issues is for the state to organise a roundtable meeting between various stake holders including government officials, academics and experts to discuss and propose a proper policy on land.

 

He proposed a deadline of Nov 2 for the roundtable discussion to take place in Penang.

 

Mazlan said this policy, if approved, can then be implemented in states governed by Pakatan Rakyat.

 

He added that the coming parliamentary sitting in Oct will see PAS proposing a resolution on the preservation of Malay reserve land and traditional villages.

 

The issue of eviction of Malay villagers came under the spotlight during Iszuree's speech, quoted by Malaysiakini in a report headlined 'Penang PAS delegate says Penang pro-developer like BN'

 

Although he claimed to be misquoted, the state cabinet decided to drop Iszuree from three Penang City Council (MPPP) subcomittees and to freeze all his budget allocation.

 

Meanwhile, Mazlan urged the Penang government to withdraw its decision to drop Iszuree from the subcommittees as the latter is a "committed and vocal" state PAS leader who fought for the justice of all communities in the state.