Can Bersih, too, apply for cheap land?

YOURSAY ‘By buying the land cheap, Umno-BN has deprived the state coffers of millions of ringgit.'

'Cheap land for Umno used for the community'

Onyourtoes: Look, if these plots of land are for community and public purpose, they should remain in the hand of the government, not Umno or BN.

Once the lands are transferred to Umno or BN, there is no safeguard that these lands will not be transferred to private hands for private use at exorbitant profit later on.

Who is to know and who is to monitor? If Pakatan Rakyat had not taken over Selangor, do you think we will know about this scandal?

Foodforthought: Does this make sense, Umno-BN is the 'government', yet Umno-BN need to purchase 'government' land on the cheap to be 'used solely for the community's interests'.

Selangor Umno information chief Abdul Shukor Idrus, you are saying either this Umno-BN 'government' is incompetent or corrupt. Either way you are pissing into the wind.

Baiyuensheng: Can Bersih ask for two acres of land on the cheap for their community purposes? Can Hindraf ask for 10 acres at the same price for their members, too? If they cannot, why should Umno be given this privilege?

Odin: The fact remains that the owner of the parcels of land is Umno, and Umno got them all on the cheap by abusing its position.

All the parcels of land should have remained as state land, and any structures and appurtenances meant for public use could still have been built on them.

Next point. Umno is not the people. It is a political party, and it is supposed to serve the people.

Anticommunalist: Umno is cheap, but land is not! By buying the land cheap, Umno-BN has deprived the state coffers of millions of ringgit. As a taxpayer, I do not see the logic.

Frequent Flyer: Abdul Shukor is a classic example of the Umnoputra arrogance of power. Umno takes 50 acres and builds a community hall on 0.5 acres and the rest goes to commercial units.

Game over, Umno. We know your tricks. Menteri Besar Abdul Khalid Ibrahim gets back land from Talam given by Umno in cahoots with MCA. That's the difference.

ABBN: Abdul Shukor, don't simply open your big mouth! Please give the complete details of all the 24 parcels of land and any other land not disclosed or uncovered and their usage and present beneficiary.

Not Confused: Excuse me, but isn't building another bridge across the Klang river for the benefit of the community?

Yet, the federal government decided not to build it because they lost control of Selangor. At the same time, these BN parties buy land at RM1 per square foot in order to build community halls?

Myop101: Hello, isn't it the responsibility of the state to provide community halls and multi-purpose halls? Why do we need political parties to do the work of the state?

Is the Selangor Umno information chief implying that the Selangor state under BN was incapable of building community halls and multi-purpose halls?

Even if the 400,000 Umno members are part of the rakyat, what about the rest of the 5 million Selangorians? Aren't they rakyat, too? Shouldn't they have a say on how these halls are used and maintained?

Being in private hands, access and the use of these halls are now exclusively at the mercy and decision of the political parties, not the state.

Mano: I am most interested to know what MIC did with its cheap land?

Jean Pierre: It's funny that Abdul Shukor justifies Umno being sold state land cheaply as meant "for the people" but reacts negatively when the Selangor State Development Corporation (PKNS) transfers assets to a private entity which it owns. A tale of two stories.

CKL: Can Abdul Shukor understand that Umno is merely a political party. It is not the government. The government comprises people who belong to political parties, some of whom are Umno members. Umno and the government are separate entities.

Opposition parties also represent the people's interest. In fact, 50 percent of Malaysians voted for the opposition. Does this mean that these other parties can also get cheap government land in the name of serving the people?

And why stop at land? Why don't Umno get their fingers on government money - our taxes and perhaps also Petronas money. With these cash resources, they can serve the people better!

Umno now behaves like the Communist Party of China - the party and the government are indistinguishable.

Supercession: In that case, give me cheap land, too, and I will use it for the benefit of the "community". Promise. - Malaysiakini