FT ministry to weed out shoplot renters masquerading as poor

Khalid Samad says action will be taken against those cheating the system by getting ‘support’ letters from politicians claiming they are poor and need low-rental assistance.

Khalid Samad wants only the genuine poor to benefit from DBKL’s low-rental shoplot scheme.

KUALA LUMPUR: Federal Territories Minister Khalid Samad is mulling action against those who are not poor but use “support” letters to enjoy low rental for roadside shoplots in the city.

Khalid told reporters today at Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL) that those who were passing off as poor with letters “supporting” their claims from former KL MPs and politicians, would be subject to scrutiny by DBKL and his ministry.

“We will now rent the lots based on their eligibility, and not because of support letters they got due to their political affiliations with politicians and ex-city MPs.

“Whether they are from Umno or PAS, we will help so long as they are poor and Malaysians,” he said, adding the genuine poor would be protected from being victimised.

“We will likely replace all those who got the lots because of these letters, but we will go step by step,” he said after chairing the weekly consultative council meeting here with DBKL and all 11 KL MPs.

They were discussing the Kuala Lumpur City Plan 2020, which was mooted by Khalid for official gazetting by year-end. The consultative council was formed to discuss its gazetting and other issues in KL.

Khalid, in a written reply to Parliament yesterday, had said the Pakatan Harapan (PH) government would take full responsibility for gazetting the plan even though there were a few years left before 2020.

The KL Structure Plan was first gazetted in 2004 but the more detailed version — the draft KL City Plan 2020, launched in 2008, which received feedback and consultation from the public — has yet to be gazetted.

In the past, Kuala Lumpur MPs have raised concerns over the failure to gazette the plan, saying this could cause the city to become the most unplanned and congested urban centre in the world.

However, last year, DBKL said it was pointless to gazette it as it was due to expire by 2020. It said it would instead concentrate on the Kuala Lumpur Structure Plan 2050.

Khalid said the KL MPs have also been asked to submit a list of issues plaguing their respective constituencies, and a list of people to be nominated as advisers to DBKL.

“The final list will be approved by me and will include NGOs, professionals, those passionate about the environment and quality of living and so on,” he added.

The list is expected to be approved in two weeks.

On the Federal Hill development issue, Khalid said he had discussed it at today’s meeting, but no concrete steps or course of action has been decided to address the issue.

He said this was because he was currently overwhelmed by the number of land-related issues in various parts of KL.

Federal Hill, a 20ha plot of land near KL Sentral, was acquired in 2012 by SP Setia Bhd in a land swap. SP Setia is 77%-owned by government entities.

Concerns have since been raised by residents in nearby Bukit Bandaraya and Fahmi to reverse the land swap, citing destruction of the environment and heritage sites as causes for concern.

Khalid previously told FMT he would meet concerned residents over their objections to the project taking shape at the foot of the Federal Hill, as early as next Sunday.

Khalid also shrugged off speculation that he was not approving contracts or budgets since taking over the federal territories minister’s post, saying no orders had been given to stop ongoing work in the city. -FMT