UMNO RUSH TO SPREAD BLAME? 'Royal hand' in Camerons land clearing, says report

The Pahang royalty is said to have interfered in the work of local officers in Cameron Highlands, and forced them to approve clearing on land that is meant to be preserved, the New Straits Times reports today.

The claim follows a deadly mudslide last Thursday, that took lives, and is the second such incident in the highlands that has been blamed on over-development.

Last year, flash floods in Cameron Highlands claimed three lives.

NST in its report also published what it said is a "yellow letter", a document purportedly issued by a member of the Pahang royal family, as an example of the "interference".

It said the letter was shared by local authorities who defended themselves against their supposed inaction on the over-development of Cameron Highlands.

The letter asked that local authorities give "special consideration" and to "duly approve" a 0.277 hectare land for development in Kampung Raja, one of the sites of the mudslides and near where a 13-year-old was killed.

This is despite a freeze on the issue of temporary occupation licences (TOL) since 2001, the report says.

However, the report said, the Pahang palace, through an official, refused to comment on the matter, passing the ball to the state government.

Royal name-dropping

The daily also quoted an unnamed former Cameron Highlands district officer (DO) as confirming that he received such letters.

However, the former DO said he did not "normally entertain" them and had not been threatened for not acting on them.

The report also quoted unnamed investigators as saying that only a handful of individuals having links with the palace have been pressuring local authorities against taking action on illegal activities in Cameron Highlands.

"The sultan has nothing to do with this... In many cases, the good name of the palace is dropped in the hope the authorities would keep a safe distance out of fear or respect," said the source.

However, the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission insisted that local authorities were not firm enough.

"Their hands are not entirely tied. The authorities can enforce the law if they want to.

"So what if they are transferred for going against the grain? If everyone of them stood their ground, how many transfers can be forced?

"There are just too few of the good ones but lots of bad apples who are in cahoots with the greedy farmers," the unnamed MACC officer is quoted by NST as saying. -M'kini