• UPDATED 11.55PM | This article has been updated with Tony Pua's response.

KKB BY-ELECTION | PSM is “stunned” over former housing and local government minister Zuraida Kamaruddin’s allegation that Lim Guan Eng, who was the finance minister in the Pakatan Harapan administration, had rejected the allocation to construct houses in five estates in Kuala Kubu Baharu.

“PSM demands an explanation from Lim. Otherwise, he should sue Zuraida for making a false allegation,” its deputy chairperson S Arutchelvan told Malaysiakini.

“We realise that all cabinet decisions are minuted and we hope the truth can be exposed to the public,” he added.

Arutchelvan said to his knowledge, there was some dispute between the housing and local government ministry with Berjaya Corporation on the issue of tender but this was later resolved.

“We only know that there was no allocation because of Covid-19 but Covid-19 was mostly during (former premier) Muhyiddin Yassin’s era when Lim was no longer a minister,” he added.

Arutchelvan was commenting on current Housing and Local Government Minister Nga Kor Ming’s announcement on the building of houses for 245 workers from Ladang Nigel Gardner, Ladang Bukit Tagar, Ladang Mary, Ladang Minyak dan Ladang Sungai Tinggi.

The project is a joint venture between the ministry and the Selangor state government. Berjaya Corporation Bhd had allocated 20 acres of free land for the houses.

Previously, Zuraida was reported as stating that Lim rejected the allocation twice during Harapan’s 22 months in power from 2018 to 2020.

DAP chairperson Lim Guan Eng (left) and Zuraida Kamaruddin

Meanwhile, Arutchelvan said PSM had penned letters to three ministers in 2022 - to ask for an allocation for the housing project.

The three were the then-minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Mustapa Mohamed, finance minister Tengku Zafrul Abdul Aziz and housing and local government minister Reezal Merican Naina Merican.

Pua denies allegation

In a Facebook post later, Lim’s former political aide Tony Pua denied Zuraida’s allegation and accused the latter of “concoting another fictitious tall tale”.

“As Guan Eng's former political secretary, I can say that I have never seen or heard of the application, what more that Lim  himself rejected the application twice,” he said.

Pua, who said “all these turncoats are the same”, recounted PN chairperson Muhyiddin Yassin accusing Lim of terminating the Albukhary Foundation's tax-exempt status.  

“Another piece of fantastic fiction that is now subject to a defamation suit from Lim in court.

“I am surprised Zuraida is still hanging around after her trouncing in Ampang. She should just go hide somewhere where no one can see her,” he added referring to her defeat in the last general election.

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