Land bank is ‘Taib’s latest trick’

Already under a cloud, Sarawak Chief Minister 'pulls out' a new business plan to help Bumiputeras.

COMMENT

By Apai M

The hallmark of a fraudster is that he never stops inventing new scams to cheat the public until the prison door closes on him.

So it comes as no surprise that Chief Minister Taib Mahmud has started to sell his and Barisan Nasional’s latest trick.

He starts off by saying that only Bumiputeras can own native customary rights (NCR) land.

We have had reams of evidence to show how NCR land has been taken from its owners by a fraudulent land legislation that the Federal Court has condemned, but which Taib and his cronies continue to use to their personal profit and for sale to non-Bumiputera owners.

Next he has the insolence to say that owners of NCR land can have a 30% share in it!

Not a word about who will have the other 70%. No prizes for guessing!

And to reassure NCR landowner who may have doubts, he nominates Deputy Chief Minister (Alfred) Jabu (Numpang) as the man to be in charge.

Jabu! You only need to look at this man’s record in Sarawak Report to see how he is probably the most unsuitable person, apart from Taib himself, in the whole of Sarawak to be in charge of a land exchange system.

Private profit

To put this land theft scheme in action, Taib announced that it will be operated by a land bank which will be 100% owned by Bumiputeras.

For these purposes, Taib himself, and Jabu, qualify as Bumis!

The bank will – surprise! surprise! – be a private company… just like the other private companies which Taib and his cronies have used to steal state assets for private profit.

He does not have the cheek to state who will be the directors of the company, but we can guess. (It will be) himself, his family and selected toadies.

Taib goes on to claim that the “state” has developed 200,000 hectares of land but gives no detail.

Does he mean the 200,000 hectares of primal forest which he and his nominees destroyed or sold off for private profit? Does he mean the raped land, much, if not all, of which is legally NCR owned but has been converted into oil palm plantations?

Take note all who are involved in this massive theft of national assets: not only will you go to jail for your actions but those assets will be recovered by the state and returned to their lawful owners.

Now for the final insult. Who will put up all the money for this scheme and its bank? Not Taib. Not his fellow conspirators but the taxpayer via Felda and Felcra!

(This first appeared on www.barubian.net)