MRT Jalan Sultan land acquisition – who is telling the truth: Chua Soi Lek, Hamid Albar or Idris Jala?

Lim Kit Siang

“Flip flop in a matter of days” has become the byword for the present Najibgovernment, whether on its mishandling of the Bersih 2.0 peacefull rally for freeand fair elections on July 9 or the parliamentary select committee on electoralreforms.

There is now the latest addition to the Najib government's “Flip Flop List” – thecontroversy over the Klang Valley Mass Rapid Transit (KVMRT) land acquisitionof Jalan Sultan properties.

Only three days ago, the MCA President Datuk Seri Chua Soi Lek hadannounced that the government had backtracked from its decision to acquire theland and 31 buildings around Jalan Sultan in Kuala Lumpur to make way for theMRT mega project.

Chua said that after discussion with Land Public Transport Commission (SPAN)chairperson Datuk Seri Syed Hamid Albar, “an understanding and agreement”had been reached whereby as a “compromise”, the government will only acquirethe strata title for the property 100 feet below ground required for the MRT tunnel,while the buildings, many of which are nearly a hundred years old, and landabove ground will remain in the current owners' hands.

However, the residents may have to vacate their property during the six months or so of tunnelling works, whilethe government will also be required to strengthen the heritage buildings should they be affected by the worksunderground.

“The cost of the strengthening and the compensation to the owners will be detailed later,” Chua said.

Chua's announcement of government backtracking on MRT's Jalan Sultan land acquisition did not survive 24hours as the very next day, Hamid not only rubbished Chua's talk of government strata title for the property 100feet below ground but reiterated compulsory acquisition of Jalan Sultan's land and 31 buildings.

Hamid delivered a greater shocker when he declared that there was no guarantee that the acquired JalanSultan properties would eventually be returned to the owners although the authorities were working on asolution to allow traders to return to their Chinatown lots being acquired for the KVMRT.

The Jalan Sultan traders were delivered another shock when it is revealed today that the Pemandu chief DatukIdris Jalan had written to the Associated Chinese Chamber of Commerce and Industry Malaysia (ACCIM)president Tan Sri William Chen to justify the government pursuing a “rail-and-property” model as it would not beable to recover the cost of the first KVMRT line between Sungai Buloh and Kajang through fares alone.

The affected Jalan Sultan traders and the Malaysian public are entitled to ask – Who is telling the truth about theMRT Jalan Sultan land acquisition: Chua Soi Lek, Hamid Albar or Idris Jala.

The Najib administration must be reminded of its grandiose promises of various transformation programmesto act with transparency and integrity, and that it bears the onus to satisfy the affected Jalan Sultan traders andowners as well as the Malaysian public the responsibility to establish that the MRT project owner PrasanaNasional Bhd is not attempting to hijack prime land in Jalan Sultan, Kuala Lumpur affecting heritage shoplotsfor the ulterior motive of profit as the 1990 amendment to the National Land Code had specifically provided forthe MRT needs of “underground railways” development.