24ha Gebeng land sold on 99-year lease, Pahang MB clarifies

The Pahang state government has clarified that the sale of industrial land in Harbour Bay, near Gebeng, to a private company was on a 99-year leasehold basis, not as freehold ownership.

Menteri Besar Wan Rosdy Wan Ismail said the sale of 23.96 hectares of land to Petroluxe Refinery (M) Sdn Bhd was for industrial use.

He said the company is set to develop an integrated oil refinery and petrochemical plant there, involving an investment of about RM3 billion.

“As an investor who will be committing a substantial amount of money to build a high-capacity plant on this land, Petroluxe needs the assurance they can continuously use the refinery site.

“This means purchasing the land instead of leasing it for a limited period,” he said in a statement.

Wan Rosdy was responding to Pahang PAS deputy commissioner Andansura Rabu, who yesterday called on the government to explain why the land was allegedly sold to a company from China.

The menteri besar called Andansura’s comments an attempt to create a negative perception of the state government and explained that Petroluxe Refinery is a local company.

He said the company is registered with the Companies Commission of Malaysia, with its main shareholder being Unigrand Petroluxe Sdn Bhd. Therefore, there is no issue of a foreign company owning the land, he added.

However, a report by Bernama on Nov 13 regarding the sale mentioned that Petroluxe Refinery is a company owned by investors from China.

Yesterday, Andansura called on the state government and property developer Pasdec Holdings Bhd to clarify the sale of the land as the full details of the transaction had not been disclosed.

The Beserah assemblyperson asked, “Does this sale grant permanent ownership to the Chinese company or is it temporary ownership? If it’s temporary ownership, how long is the lease term?”

Wan Rosdy further explained that the sale of land to foreign investors for industrial development is not a new practice, and has long been implemented by state governments in Malaysia.

“I have also instructed the state legal adviser to review and take legal action if any defamatory, inciteful, or malicious claims against the Pahang government are found,” he added.

Explain sale of 24ha land to China company, PAS rep urges Pahang govt