Land Swaps Land Grabs And Ugly Hands Of Politicians

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In November 2020, the Government Governance Procurement and Finance Investigation Committee investigated 16 land swap cases involving 2,923 acres (1,183ha) of government land valued at RM4.8 billion.
Land swapping is a method of developing the Defence Ministry’s facilities by financing through the exchange of federal land with the private sector.
It is intended to meet the development allocation requirements found to be insufficient for upgrading plans and building new military facilities.
The Public Accounts Committee (PAC) was informed that the issues in implementing the method were related to the government’s losses due to the inconsistent method of determining the value of reciprocal land and political considerations that exceeded the ministry’s interest.
It also noted that 97 parcels of land owned by Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL) were sold since 2011.
“The process was too loose, prone to abuse of power, and protected neither the interest of DBKL nor the people of KL,” said PAC chairperson Wong Kah Woh, in a statement.
The relevant PAC reports can be found here.
Like many others, the report immediately evoked public outcry but remained in the archives without remedial action.
Such reports are met with disdain and condescension with retorts like: “Who’s scared of the big bad wolf?”
The perpetrators knew that even if they were investigated, nothing would come of it, and no one would face sanction or prosecution.
This line of thought was not unexpected, though. The PAC had already said that “political considerations” were in play, hence the assurance of non-action with protection provided by “Big Brother” in high places.
That’s because they only had to look across the border to Selangor, where in 2007, nothing happened when six parcels of land surrendered to the state for public amenities ended up in private hands – including political parties in the then-government.
A piece of land earmarked for a school field initially ended up in the hands of a powerful politician, who subsequently transferred it to his party following the adverse publicity.
What the govt does with land
In 2007, reports emerged of the Selangor government alienating large tracts of land near forest reserves. This prompted then-prime minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi to take a helicopter ride with then-menteri besar Mohd Khir Toyo.
Former Selangor menteri besar Mohamad Khir ToyoAbdullah saw the destruction of the greenery with just gravel-covered barren hills, and once on the ground, Khir made his infamous remark: “Semuanya OK”.
Two years ago, a seven-year legal saga ended for the Taman Tun Dr Ismail (TTDI) Residents Association as the Federal Court quashed a development order by the DBKL to develop Taman Rimba Kiara.
The three-member panel upheld the Court of Appeal’s decision that the development order obtained in 2017 by the joint venture of Yayasan Wilayah Persekutuan and developer Memang Perkasa Sdn Bhd for the Taman Rimba Kiara project was null and void.
Judge Nallini Pathmanathan, when reading the unanimous judgment, said it was incumbent upon the court to protect the public’s interest when land allocated for public space is removed from public use and utilised for private ownership.
But did anyone take heed?
Last November, DBKL was again in the news. This time, they were selling a plot of land meant for a police station in Taman Desa.
A private company had received approval from the Federal Territories Land and Mines Office to develop a condominium on the land during a meeting with the Kuala Lumpur mayor.
What was more surprising was that the Home Ministry and police had opposed the sale. They intended to use the plot for a new police station to replace the ageing Brickfields station, which the authorities are renting.
in a written reply to the Dewan Rakyat, Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Federal Territories) Dr Zaliha Mustafa said the Land and Mines office rejected the proposal to build a police station on the land due to the proximity of the existing Taman Desa police station, located just 500m away.
This is hardly a justification as the police have their own needs. The Land and Mines office has no clue about how the police plan their needs according to population growth.
Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Federal Territories) Dr Zaliha MustafaWhere’s the transparency?
Two weeks ago, residents protested over the sale of another plot of land in Desa Sri Hartamas for private development. Residents alleged that the land was sold below the market price.
No guesses as to what the response was - nothing but silence.
These raise questions: Why is land belonging to the state sold in secrecy? What is wrong with making the transacted price public?
Across the causeway, the Singapore Land Authority (SLA) ensures that all state land sales are conducted openly and transparently through competitive public tenders or auctions.
Its website says: “The SLA assists the government in managing its land sales system. Our roles are to achieve optimal returns from the sales and to appoint and manage the land sales agents. Where land is slated for release for sale, we ensure that the land is available and that the land sale processes comply with statutory guidelines.”
The PAC warned five years ago of the “inconsistent method of determining the value of reciprocal land and political considerations.”
Why hasn’t there been a response and change to the methodology, as well as to keeping out interfering politicians?
I have always advocated plucking the low-hanging fruits by introducing openness at the local authority level and then moving on to the state and federal levels.
Over the past two years, the government and its leaders have never missed an opportunity to expound on its accountability and transparency policies. Besides, its manifesto promised DBKL elections.
When will we see some semblance of delivery? Will they make serious efforts to fulfil them? - Mkini
R NADESWARAN is a veteran journalist who writes on bread-and-butter issues. 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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