SUPP's 'game playing' revealed

The SUPP could never get it right. This time, they were proven wrong again the issue of land lease renewal involving more than 1500 people.

Violet showing the data she had obtained .

State Assemblywoman for Pending Violet Yong, armed with a stack of names and data, on Tuesday showed details of all those who had paid the land lease renewal before the new rate announced during the Sibu by election last month.

In a press conference, Violet showed the names, lot number, amount paid and even the dates of application and approval by the Land and Survey of the land lease.

A total of 1,508 people had paid up of which 611 were from Kenyalang Park. Total amount collected from Kenyalang was RM268,254.30 and the new rate average would be around RM611,000.

Violet said the government could do without the RM2.6 million but the people who were able to get the refund back need that money more.

After the new land lease renewal fee was slashed to 50%, those who had paid cried foul as they wanted the government to refund them for what they had paid before.

The announcement made by the Chief Minister was to ‘soften’ the hearts of the voters hoping that the Barisan Nasional would win in the by-election. When the tactic failed, the State government had to deal with a number of house and land owners who had paid before their land expired.

Many claimed that it was unfair that they had paid up and were ‘punished’ for paying at a higher rate.

Don't waste time

Pending branch led by SUPP secretary-general, Senator Sim Kheng Hui, had on two Sundays parked outside the Kenyalang Park theatre to collect names and data of those who had already paid the land lease before the new rates announced. Sim had said they would forward the collected data to appeal to the government.

On the first Sunday, they collected over 600 names. Before the second Sunday, DAP MP Chong Chieng Jen and Violet called on the people not to waste their time as whoever had paid had their names and data in the Land and Survey.

Violet said the SUPP were looking for political mileage as they being the government should be able to get the names and data anytime they wanted. The second Sunday saw about 60 names collected by SUPP.

While Chief Minister refused to give a direct answer on whether there was a refund, SUPP President George Chan said they would review case by case of the land and house owners on the refund.

This made the people more angry as they felt the refund should be across the board.

Violet said if the government is a caring one, they should consider paying back the refund and stop the game of playing with the people’s feelings.

courtesy of Malaysian Mirror