Azmin: It's Noh Omar who should have stopped demolition with phone call

Under fire for allegedly failing to stop the demolition of three houses and two shophouses near the Sultan Abdul Aziz Shah Airport on Wednesday, Selangor Menteri Besar Mohamed Azmin Ali today claimed that the issue was out of the state's jurisdiction.

"Ask him to follow the law. The land belonged to the federal government.

"He should be the one to make the call," Azmin (centre in photo) told reporters in Puchong when asked for a response to Urban Wellbeing, Housing and Local Government Minister Noh Omar's criticisms against his handling of the issue.

Noh had on Thursday said that Azmin, as the state’s top authority, could have easily stopped the demolition by making just one phone call.

The Selangor Umno chief also described the demolition that had initially left two families homeless as "cruel" and Azmin should have allowed them time to look for other accommodations.

After the demolition, Azmin announced that the state government was offering the two families public low-cost (PPR) accommodation in Kota Damansara rent-free for six months.

Ordered by Malaysian Airports Holdings Bhd (MAHB), the demolition was carried out by both the Petaling District and Land Office and the Shah Alam City Council. The houses were occupied by former mosque committee members of the airport.

A protest was also held against the demolition by Parti Sosialis Malaysia (PSM) which resulted in nine of its members being arrested by police. They were released on police bail later that day.

PSM claimed that the Selangor government insisted it was powerless to intervene, despite the issue involving state land.

Selangor Smart Rental Scheme 

Azmin, meanwhile, earlier handed over 110 house keys to participants of the state's Smart Rental Scheme which was started in 2016 with an initial allocation of RM10 million.

In his speech, Azmin said the state had increased the allocation to RM100 million for this year, with a total of 862 low-cost apartment rental units available from Selangor's Housing and Properties Board.

The scheme is open to registered voters in Selangor with a household income of less than RM5,000 a month - at a rental rate of between RM550 to RM700 - in areas including Shah Alam, Puchong, Gombak, Kapar and Hulu Langat.

All participants are required to enter into a minimum two years or maximum five years rental agreement, after which the paid amount would be "returned" as a deposit for them to purchase the units.

Also present were Selangor housing exco Iskandar Samad and Puchong MP Gobind Singh Deo.- Mkini