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'Don't blame Penang govt for Kg Mutiara evictions'

Gerakan Harapan Baru (GHB) pro-tem committee chief Mujahid Yusof Rawa has chided several quarters including Umno and PAS members who appeared to have turned the issue of eviction of Kampung Mutiara villagers into a racial one.

Mujahid said such views, when published, do not benefit the villagers as they interfered with the state government's efforts to find a solution to the issue.

He was referring to several reports in the pro-BN media which appeared to have blamed the DAP-led Penang government for allegedly driving away Malay villagers from the island.

He said the state has already put in motion a process to negotiate with the land owner to reach an amicable settlement with the villagers.

"We want to remind those whowant to turn this issue into a racial one to desist doing so as it does not help the situation at all," Mujahid said at a press conference in Pulau Tikus, Penang.

"It creates a negative perception on the state government and on Bukit Bendera MP Zairil Khir Johari ( photo ) who has been delegated to resolve the problem," said Mujahid who is Parit Buntar MP.

"The state has nothing to do with the eviction as it is purely between the villagers and the landowner," he stressed.

Mujahid said GHB had offered to be a mediator in this tussle with a dialogue planned between the villagers, the state government and the landowner.

"We see a light at the end of the tunnel as the landowner has agreed to engage with us".

Mujahid was referring to the incident on Monday when about 1,000 Kampung Mutiara residents staged a heated protest against their village's landowner who wanted them to vacate the property.

The villagers were supported by DAP, PKR, PAS and Umno members who turned up to stop the eviction.

Proper compensation sought

The landowner has since postponed plans to evict the villagers and reportedly said he was willing to engage with the state over the matter.

Speaking on behalf of Deputy Chief Minister (I) Rashid Hasnon, Zairil said the state government was in the process of meeting the landowner to negotiate for proper compensation for the villagers.

Zairil acknowledged that the landowner had rights to his land but added that social justice must also be done and seen to be done for the victims facing eviction.

He condemned several media reports which placed the blame of the eviction squarely on the Penang government in that it was responsible for 'chasing Malays out of the island'.

"The state government policy has been the same since we took over Penang.

"Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng ( photo ) has already said that no development will be approved on the said land until the villagers are provided with proper compensation," Zairil said at the press conference in his service center in Jalan Maktab.

Zairil said in the event of an eviction, the state government will provide temporary homes for those affected.

He added that the affected villagers will also be given priority to purchase a low cost home.

To date, the landowner has not submitted an application to develop the land, which is located along the famed Batu Feringghi tourist belt.

The village is touted as one of the last Malay villages on Penang island along with those in Tanjung Tokong and Balik Pulau.

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