Was Khalid’s RM1,000psf Kg Baru offer just a puff, asks Johari

 

Johari Ghani doubts the credibility of the offer and says until today Khalid Samad has not disclosed which party agreed to put up such a hefty sum to acquire the land.

PETALING JAYA: Amanah’s Khalid Samad must explain whether the offer of RM1,000psf which he made to acquire 230 acres of land in Kampung Baru had the approval of the Cabinet, said Johari Ghani.

Johari said the offer made by the former federal territories minister involved a whopping RM10 billion, giving rise to questions as to who was expected to stump up the massive sum needed to complete the deal.

“If it was an offer by the government, did it have the authority of the Cabinet? If it was a private endeavour, then what is the name of the company which made the offer?” asked Johari, who was second finance minister between 2016 and 2018.

“If indeed such an offer was made, the quantum involved would have exceeded RM10 billion. I would like to know the identity of the party which promised such a staggering sum,” he said.

In 2019, Khalid, the then federal territories minister, offered to acquire the Kampung Baru land at RM1,000psf for redevelopment.

Johari doubts the credibility of the offer. He said that until this very day, Khalid has not disclosed which party agreed to put up such a hefty sum to acquire the land.

“A leader must always speak the truth,” he added.

In any event, Johari says the condition laid down by Khalid, namely, that each and every landowner must accept the offer, was unreasonable.

“It is unlikely that all landowners would settle on a common valuation given that the value of each plot of land is assessed based on its uniqueness, size and location within the area concerned.”

Johari said a more reasonable and proven model can be found in the UDA Legacy project.

UDA Legacy, also known as Legasi Kampung Baru, is a condominium complex developed by UDA Property, then under the purview of Johari. It was completed in 2020. Its units, which currently boast values between RM700,000 and RM2.8 million, i.e. more than RM1,000psf.

Johari said the success of the UDA Legacy project had also triggered an appreciation in the value of its surrounding property.

“If the Kampung Baru land is to be developed, such development must be done in phases and may in all likelihood take more than 30 years. This is because the land in question exceeds 230 acres, is situated in the heart of Kuala Lumpur and involves a large number of owners and beneficiaries.

“It is quite similar to the KLCC twin towers and its surrounding land, which took the Barisan Nasional government 30 years to develop,” said Johari.

Johari hopes to recapture the mandate of Titiwangsa voters at GE15.

He is locked in a four-cornered fight for the parliamentary seat with Khalid, Dr Rosni Adam (Perikatan Nasional) and Khairuddin Abu Hassan (Pejuang).

The Titiwangsa constituency covers Setapak, Kampung Baru, Kampung Datuk Keramat, Taman Maluri, and Kampung Pandan, and is made up of 80,747 voters. - FMT