Nizar forces Zambry to explain why his mother was given land

Zambry's explanation raised even more concern

IPOH - The mother of Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Dr Zambry Abdul Kadir was thrust into the limelight at the Perak state assembly sitting over a land matter.

Dr Zambry was delivering his winding up speech when former Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Mohamad Nizar Jamaluddin (PAS - Pasir Panjang) kept pressing him for an answer on why his mother was given land by the state government.

“If you are so eager to know, I will answer you now,” Dr Zambry told Nizar.

Sidetracking from his speech, Dr Zambry said the squatter problem in Kampung Masjid on the island had existed since the time Tan Sri Mohamad Tajol Rosli Ghazali (BN - Pengkalan Hulu) was Mentri Besar.

“Tajol Rosli had created a task force to tackle the issue of squatters statewide.

“At the time, I was an exco member,” Dr Zambry said.

The owner of the piece of land, occupied by 100 hardcore poor families including his mother, had approached the state government with an offer to sell it.

He said the owner, Ismail Yahya, had wanted to sell it to the state and that he had no control on the fate of the families staying there.

“The taskforce held a meeting and decided to buy the land. It wanted to prevent the families from being displaced and not because my mother was living there or because it was the house where I grew up in,” Dr Zambry said.

Dr Zambry also addressed allegations brought by S. Kesavan (PKR - Hutan Melintang), who was ejected from the sitting on the first day, and other Opposition lawmakers that those from Umno had been allocated lots at a planned village scheme in Simpang Ampat.

“That was actually not a planned village scheme but an empty piece of land applied for by 11 people and the state approved. The Umno people in question who were among those who got lots were low-ranking civil servants.”

Later, Datuk Hamdi Abu Bakar (BN - Pengkalan Baru) said that the state government had also approved land to the mother and relatives of Nga Kor Ming (DAP - Pantai Remis) during Barisan’s administration as they were entitled to it.

Hamdi, however, noted that the Opposition should not accuse Barisan of giving land to its people when the Opposition had also given land for a hall in Sungai Wangi to people from PAS during its time in power.

The state assembly sitting was adjourned sine die after the House passed the proposed 2011 Budget.

- Star