Hidden agenda behind the Spad spat?
'Is it likely that Spad will make an exception for Chinatown? Why should it be different for other land being compulsorily acquired by Spad?'
'Syed Hamid turned Chua from hero to zero in 24hrs'
Kit P: I've seen a number of cases where the government compulsorily acquired land for infrastructure purposes, subsequently hiving off parts of the land to other commercial users who make a large profit.
The original landowners lose out considerably because the compensation received is way below what the prime land is worth on the open market. I have a strong suspicion there is a hidden agenda behind the Spad spat.
Anonymous: Is it likely that Spad will make an exception for Chinatown? Why should it be different for other land being compulsorily acquired by Spad?
If they make this exception, others will insist on it too. Therefore, there is no way that buildings in Chinatown will be returned to the owners - at best, they will be given a shop in a mega-mall owned and operated by MRT and later privatised to friendly parties.
Kosongcafe: I think the most enterprising people are the ministers, with their power to grab whatever they wish from existing owners of properties or businesses.
After years of earnings, savings and foregoing luxury living, properties in central KL have appreciated much. But there is no perpetuity since the amended Land Code on compulsory acquisitions, which is why freehold or leasehold makes no practical difference in this sense.
Political power comes with the authority to make or break a person, his possession or business. Using public funds, whatever compensation paid to the owners, some people involved in the acquisitions and those behind the corporations involved would have made millions in the shuffle.
MCA chief Chua Soi Lek should realise by now that the old power-sharing among race-based political parties are irrelevant and should get out before being kicked out.
DannyLoHH: So, this is what BN politicians do. Grab land from land owners so that they and their cronies could make millions. They don't care that the land are the livelihood of the current owners, what they see is only money for themselves.
They don't give two hoots about rule of law either, the land grabbing episode here is clearly showing that they are bending the law to serve their own interest
Anonymous_3e4b: I was in Kuala Lumpur a few times, and many times I met foreign tourists asking for directions to Chinatown.
The BN government is definitely blind to want to do away with Chinatown. Tourism Minister Ng Yen Yen, why you being so quiet when it involves your ministry?
Interested Bystander: Syed Hamid's argument that compulsory acquisition of the Jalan Sultan lots was necessary because under land law, landowners also owned the land that lies below ground, is complete and utter nonsense.
Bob Teoh: Doesn't MCA know anything underground belongs to Umno?
'By-election losses spur Pakatan's reform demand'
Wira: In every by-election, including those it won, PAS had been on the watch out for phantom voters who arrived in bus convoys. All these are well-documented, even by the mainstream media.
It is just that recently, Bersih 2.0 has raised more awareness and Pakatan leaders and members are finding many more cases of alleged fraud.
Gerakan president Koh Tsu Koon must be sleeping all this while.
Anonymous_3e8f: The manipulations by EC went into top gear after GE12. Transferring voters to disadvantage Pakatan and enhance BN wins, reclassifying spouses of armed forces as postal voters, inserting of phantom voters disguised as "errors" and many more in collaboration with the NRD (National Registration Department).
It's all there in black and white (and in colour) and yet the clowns in charge don't want to step down.
SusahKes: KSK (Koh Tsu Koon), if you keep talking like this, as that of a constant apologist for Umno, then it is no wonder why there are even those in Gerakan who want you out.
Who Is That Masked Man?: Koh, you have no right to speak about elections. You lost your own constituency and then groveled for a cabinet post in charge of really nothing significant.
Some of your Gerakan stalwarts even left your party for the opposition. They have had enough of your servitude when you were CM to appease your Umno masters, sacrificing the people of Penang.
Even your own party members are fed up as you have no guts, no charisma, no integrity and certainly no backbone.
AnakBangsaMalaysia: Koh, someone should have advised you to step down and fade away with some quiet dignity rather than continue to shred your own integrity and credibility with ridiculously scripted, delusional public statements like this.
But alas, it is too late for that now.
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