Suspend PDC land deal, ex-DCM Ramasamy says

 

P Ramasamy said the sale of land owned by a state agency went against procedure.

BUTTERWORTH: Former deputy chief minister P Ramasamy has called for the suspension of a land deal between Penang Development Corporation (PDC) and a private construction company, as there were several unanswered questions.

Ramasamy also claimed that the deal for the 226ha land owned by a state agency went against procedure.

It was reported that the land was sold through direct negotiation to UMECH Construction Sdn Bhd in April to develop an industrial park.

Chief minister Chow Kon Yeow defended the sale, citing lack of interest on the land, with a PDC sub-committee allowing its sale.

But Ramasamy, who was part of the sub-committee, questioned how UMECH Construction sold the land to UMECH Land Sdn Bhd, with Sunway Berhad eventually taking a majority stake in UMECH Land.

Ramasamy said there was also a question of the land being sold lower than market rate, as claimed by the Penang Chinese Chamber of Commerce.

“Based on these grounds, I think that in the interest of the public, the land sale should be suspended,” he told reporters in Perai today.

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