FGVH gets Malay reserve land 'by back door'

PKR strategy director Rafizi Ramli has claimed that a significant proportion of land to be leased to Felda Global Ventures Holdings (FGVH) for its listing plan is in fact Malay reserve land.

"Our research shows that, of the 847,362 acres of land to be leased nationwide, a total of 105,382 acres have been gazetted as Malay reserve land," he told a press conference at the PKR headquarters in Petaling Jaya this afternoon.

This, he said, was based on the agreement signed between Felda Plantation Bhd which previously held the land and FGVH.

"The Malay reserve land was created to ensure bumiputera ownership. If any land is taken up by non-bumiputeras, it must be replaced with other land of the same size as Malay reserve land," he claimed.

However, Rafizi said the deal had used a "back door" method in which the land ownership and status will remain, but FGVH will be given a 99-year lease to manage the land.

"The 99-year lease is akin to transferring the ownership of the land (as) FGVH will not only include bumiputeras and non-bumiputeras, but also foreigners," he said, noting that this would violate the spirit of allocating Malay reserve land.

[More to follow]