‘Halt public land sales’, state PKR Youth tells Terengganu MB

The Terengganu PKR Youth wing has urged the state’s menteri besar, Ahmad Samsuri Mokhtar, to halt all sales of public land.

This comes after Samsuri dismissed concerns over the sale of land to the Khairunnisa’ Association, whose membership comprises wives of current and former elected representatives from the state, as a “non-issue”.

In a statement yesterday, the wing suggested that the state government implement an open tender system to avoid the “perpetuation of cronyism” under Samsuri’s (above) leadership.

It also demanded answers from the PAS-led Terengganu state government regarding the land sale.

“What considerations were given for the reduction of premium payments to a price that is 11 times cheaper than the original premium price?

“What practices or precedents led to a payment that is 58 times cheaper than the market price for the land?

“When Samsuri says that this is just a minor issue, is the sale of land owned by the people to PAS-affiliated NGOs a common practice approved by their leadership?” the wing asked.

From RM29.3m to RM500k

It was recently revealed that the state government allegedly sold a sizeable plot of land measuring 11,299 square meters in Batas Baru at a significantly reduced price compared to its estimated market value.

According to reports, the land was initially assessed to be worth RM29.3 million but, shockingly, it was sold to Khairunnisa’ for a mere RM500,000.

The reported claims were backed by an unverified document from the Kuala Terengganu Land Registry, dated Feb 10, 2019, which stated it did not deliberate on Khairunnisa’s land purchase application.

The non-deliberation was attributed to the land status, which was gazetted for public use under Section 62 of the National Land Code on April 28, 2011.

Aside from dismissing the concerns surrounding the sale, Samsuri also claimed that the issue was sensationalised for election fodder, adding that the transaction was done according to set procedures.

Meanwhile, the state PKR Youth wing pointed out the “irony” of Samsuri’s claims.

“It is ironic that several PAS Youth members spread false accusations on social media alleging that leaders in Pakatan Harapan acquired land.

“But it becomes a minor issue when concrete evidence emerges of their actions in selling public land for the benefit of PAS-affiliated NGOs,” the wing concluded.

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