Explain ‘missing’ land, Selangor govt told

MIC Youth chief T Mohan claims that the Selangor government is planning to build a fully residential Tamil school in a land allocated as compensation to the former Coalfield estate workers

PETALING JAYA: The Pakatan Rakyat-led Selangor government has been taken to task over a two-acre land, which was initially reserved for the construction of the country’s first fully residential Tamil school.

MIC Youth chief T Mohan said the state executive councillor in charge of Health, Estate Workers, Poverty and Caring Government, Dr Xavier Jeyakumar, should clear the air over the “missing” two- acre land which was awarded to the former Coalfield estate workers as compensation.

Speaking to FMT, Mohan said the fate of the two acres of land is unknown while Selangor Menteri Besar Abdul Khalid Ibrahim had been giving contradictory statements on the matter.

He said while MIC welcomes the idea of setting up a fully residential Tamil school, the state government needs to be transparent on its plans.

“The state should answer all allegations pertaining to the land. Khalid said in total 10 acres were awarded for the construction of the school. But launching the project last week he announced that the state had allocated eight acres for the project.

“Why is there a reduction in the size? Where is the balance of two acres? This is a serious issue and the state government should reveal details of the project,” said Mohan.

On Feb 13, last year, Khalid announced that the state would build a fully residential Tamil school on the 10-acre land. However, during the Tamil school ground-breaking ceremony on Feb 2, Khalid said the government has allocated only eight acres.

Mohan claimed the state government’s silence on the matter can be construed as “admission of guilt”.

He also demanded that Jeyakumar discloses details on the 10-acre plot given to the former Coalfield estate workers.

It was reported that the former workers of the estate were suspicious of a “land grab” in the whole issue.

According to a former estate worker, Lobat Raju, the state had acquired, for its own purpose, about 10 acres which were given to the workers when KL-Kepong Country Homes Sdn Bhd bought over Ladang Coalfields in 1991.

But Jeyakumar had dismissed the allegation, saying that they were based on hearsay.

Soon after this, Raju produced a copy of a Tamil newspaper clipping dated June 30, 2008 which quotes Jeyakumar as saying that the former estate workers have been given a 10-acre land as compensation.

“There is a link between the land awarded to the estate workers and the land the state government wants to build the Tamil school. They are both the same. The state government is using the land belonging to the former estate workers to build the school,” he alleged.