PETALING JAYA: Former federal territories minister Khalid Samad was taken to task today for not resolving land ownership issues in Kampung Sungai Baru, Kampung Baru, while he was in office.
Johari Ghani, the Barisan Nasional candidate for Titiwangsa, said Khalid, his rival for the seat, had been trying to pin the blame on others despite having the means to do something about it in the 22 months he was in office.
Khalid had been critical of Johari, claiming that the latter did not defend the rights of those in the Malay settlement in the heart of the capital whose lands had been seized under the Land Acquisition Act.
“It is not that I did not defend the residents (as Khalid claimed) but I did not have the capacity to do so as I ceased to be the Titiwangsa MP then,” he said according to a report by the New Straits Times.
“If it was just about lip service, I can talk like them (the opposition). But he (Khalid) was the federal territories minister for 22-months and he was also an MP then. Why didn’t he try to resolve this if he felt the developer’s terms were unfair to the residents?”
He said Khalid should not blame those who were not a part of the government nor MPs in 2018 and 2019.
Johari said he had disagreed with the redevelopment project when he was the Titiwangsa MP before the 2018 general election.
The issue resurfaced after the general election and 89% of residents agreed to the project while only 11% objected.
Those who agreed to the redevelopment were reportedly given temporary homes and promised that they would be able to return to the site in five years, though there have been delays.
Johari said it has been close to five years since the residents moved out. “I am only afraid that they will face the same fate as Pekeliling Flat residents, who have been waiting for 14 years for their homes to be completed. I want to resolve this if I am given the mandate as MP,” he added. - FMT
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