Landowners grill Prasarana over its silence

Landowners affected by the MRT line at Bukit Bintang and Pasar Rakyat turned the heat on Syarikat Prasarana Negara Bhd today for keeping them in the dark.

They demanded to know why they were not told about the alternative available under the National Land Code that allows landowners to surrender the land underground and still keep the surface.

At today's briefing for affected landowners by Prasarana, which is in charge of the planned Sungai Buloh-Kajang MRT line, Bukit Bintang MP Fong Kui Lun led the charge for some 30 landowners who attended.

"Why is the government acquiring the land using the Land Acquisition Act 1960? The 1990 amendment to the National Land Code allows land owners to surrender the land below but keep the land and buildings on the surface," Fun said.

However, Land and Mines Department's land acquisition section deputy director, Khazrul Hislan Kamaruddin, said a landowner owns what is below and above the land, thus the land must be acquired under the Land Acquisition Act before the MRT tunnels are built.

However, when grilled on the 1990 amendment, Khairul fumbled over his explanation and then chose to remained silent.

"Sorry, we have no comment about that," he said to gasps from the exasperated crowd.

No options from Prasarana

Coming to his rescue, Prasarana project development division group director Zulkifli Mohd Yusoff said he would discuss the matter further with the Lands and Mines Department.

"I believe the amendment YB (Fun) mentioned is for the landowner, before the activation of the Land Acquisition Act, to on his own accord apply for a stratum with the land office to allow the tunnel to go under his land," Zulkifli said.

However, one of the affected landowners, Jonathan Woo lamented that this option was not earlier presented to the landowners.

"Today, there is no option given to the people, just a letter asking us to value our land (that is being acquired)... (but) we are saying, give us an option," Woo said.

He also questioned earlier statements by Prasarana that the land being acquired would be used for commercial purposes to offset the cost of the project.

However, Zulkifli explained that Prasarana was merely "maximising" the lands around the MRT stations, which had to be built on the surface.

"These lands are not for Prasarana, they are for you, for me and for our children," he said.

Today's briefing was the second, with an earlier one held on Aug 11 for landowners affected by the Merdeka MRT line, which will run under Jalan Sultan.

However, this briefing was a lot more heated as landowners came prepared after PJ Utara MP Tony Pua had raised the possibility of Prasarana acquiring only the land underground, using the 1990 amendment to the National Land Code.

Pua's call has become popular ammunition against Prasarana, with Fong vowing to file an emergency motion on the matter in the coming parliamentary sitting.