Dbkl S Land Deals Must Be Made Public For Scrutiny

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 On Monday, Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim’s speech urged the people not to entertain certain “bebal” (stupid) quarters that insist on politicising issues and condemning those who do not align with their stance.
Speaking at the Prime Minister’s Department’s monthly assembly, he said that while some “small” issues could be solved amicably, some parties harp on the matter to the people’s detriment.
One cannot disagree, but isn’t this a case of not practising what you preach?
Look back and see how an innocuous temple in the Jalan Masjid India became a national controversy.
ADSIf Anwar had been briefed on the background of the land's ownership and the temple's history, the matter would have been a “small issue” (to use his words) and solved amicably.
Perhaps some quarters deliberately withheld information to prevent news of “deals” made during the previous administration. Some juicy details emerged during the corruption trial of former federal territories minister Tengku Adnan Tengku Mansor, who was subsequently acquitted,
If Anwar had been told the truth, he would not have described the temple as “illegal” and perhaps postponed laying the foundation for the Masjid Madani.
The ensuing furore could have been avoided if the public had been told the truth. Until today, Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL) has played dumb, refusing to provide details of how that plot of land ended up in private hands.
Was the land sold via a public auction? Were bids invited after public notification? Was there a valuation report? Did DBKL get a fair value for the land? Or was it a direct deal at a considerable discount?
How many parcels of land ended up in private hands through negotiations? Because of the publicity generated, we now know that land meant for a police station in Taman Desa in Kuala Lumpur ended up in private hands.
Previous reports
In 2018, The Edge Property reported that DBKL ended the sale of 18 parcels of land worth RM1.4 billion as the transactions were deemed unfavourable to the city.
Then-mayor Mohd Amin Nordin Abd Aziz did not name all the plots in question but identified a 12.9ha parcel in Cheras being sold to a textile dealer as one of the axed transactions.
“By right, we would have to repay them the 10 percent down payment of RM40 million and an extra RM40 million as compensation.”
Later the same year, then-federal territories minister Khalid Abdul Samad said DBKL recovered RM149 million by renegotiating 16 of 23 dubious land deals involving 104ha.
Former federal territories minister Khalid Abdul SamadHe said apart from that, another 5.04ha of land worth RM113.8 million had also been returned to DBKL.
ADS“The result was obtained from the renegotiation of the 16 transactions involving 21.84ha of land, among others, with the agreement of the buyers to pay according to market price,” he said.
The now-aborted housing project in Taman Rimba near Taman Tun Dr Ismail in Kuala Lumpur involved transferring land to a DBKL-linked entity, Yayasan Wilayah Persekutuan (Federal Territories Foundation).
In 202o, the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) implied that settling the 97 land sale transactions belonging to DBKL, which have been sold since 2011, is incompatible with standard operating procedures.
The then-chairperson of the PAC, Wong Kah Woh, stated that the process was too loose, prone to abuse of power, and did not protect the interests of DBKL and the people of Kuala Lumpur.
Questions remain unanswered
But who cares about the PAC's findings? Like the quarterly Auditor-General’s Reports, they are laughed at with disdain, and wrongdoers are seldom held accountable for their actions.
In a commentary, months before the 15th general election, I wrote: “Land is a state matter and states, including the Kuala Lumpur City Hall, are more than happy to fill their coffers by selling land to private developers or entering into joint-venture agreements with developers.
“Documents and evidence produced in recent court cases indicate that land belonging to the state had been alienated to certain companies for lucrative sums of money.
All these questions have remained unanswered despite Anwar’s promise of an open and transparent government.
Will Anwar crack the whip to ensure DBKL and other agencies follow the procedure for disposing of state assets? He can start by asking DBKL to provide the parcels sold after he took office, and the methodology involved.
Additionally, he should ask DBKL to post a list of the parcels of land it owns on its website. This will be a start for accountability and transparency, which he had promised. - Mkini
R NADESWARAN is a veteran journalist who tries to live up to the ethos of civil rights leader John Lewis: “When you see something that is not right, not fair, not just, you have to speak up. You have to say something; you have to do something.” Comments: [email protected]
The views expressed here are those of the author/contributor and do not necessarily represent the views of MMKtT.

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