Families seek judicial review over Pengerang land takeover

Four families from Pengerang, Johor, have applied for a judicial review in a bid to stop the acquisition of their lands for the Petronas Refinery and Petrochemical Integrated Development (Rapid) project.

Their lawyer Mohamed Hanipa Maidin filed the application at the Kuala Lumpur High Court today, saying that the RM60 billion project would be cancelled if the review is successful.

He said among the grounds stated, the land acquisition process is believed to have exceeded the authority accorded in the Land Acquisition Act 1960.

“Under the Land Acquisition Act, the party that has the power to take over lands is the ‘state authority’. If you look at Section 2 of the Act, ‘state authority’ means the Sultan.

“So the question is, has the Sultan of Johor consented to the land acquisition? We do not know. Based on the documents, it is the state government (that has consented),” he told reporters outside the court complex.

He added that the ownership of a property is also protected under Article 13 of the federal constitution.

“If you want to claim our land, you must give us the right to be heard, not only on compensation but on the project itself. Why do you do a project that denies our rights?” he said.

Hanipa, who is also a PAS central committee member, filed the applications on behalf of Pengerang residents Sutinah Abu, Loh Back Seng, Lim Boo Kia, Khariah Md Yunus, and their families.

Also accompanying him were some 30 anti-Rapid supporters and Kubang Kerian MP Salahuddin Ayub (above), who chairs a taskforce overseeing the campaign against the project.

Salahuddin stressed that the group is not opposing development, but any development must be environmentally friendly, should not affect graveyards, and should not wipe out about ten villages in the area.