Data on Malay reserve land meant to discredit Kedah govt, says Sanusi

 

Kedah menteri besar Sanusi Nor said the recent revelation in Parliament on Malay reserved land was meant to give the impression that his administration had shirked its responsibility.

ALOR SETAR: Kedah menteri besar Sanusi Nor says the data on the size of Malay reserved land in Kedah, which was presented in Parliament, is aimed at discrediting the state government.

He also said the decision to reveal such information in the Dewan Rakyat was politically motivated and claimed that there was a hidden agenda.

“It is meant to be used as ammunition (against me).

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“This Malay land reserved issue is meant to make the Kedah government look bad and to make us look like we have shirked our responsibility which led to over 5,100 ha of ‘missing’ land, when in reality, it has never taken place,” he told reporters here.

On March 29, natural resources, environment and climate change minister Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad told the Dewan Rakyat the size of Malay reserved land in Kedah, Perak and Kuala Lumpur had decreased last year.

He said Malay reserved land in Kedah had dropped from 721,888.93ha in 2021 to 716,537.28ha.

Sanusi subsequently denied this, saying data as of Jan 19 showed that the state’s Malay reserved land had increased to 721,905.61ha.

Nik Nazmi, however, stood by the data he cited, saying it was prepared by the department of the director-general of lands and mines (JKPTG), which collects annual data on Malay reserved land from the state governments.

Sanusi again tonight cited the data from 1933 to January this year and insisted that Nik Nazmi was wrong.

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He said from 1991 to 2023, 4,751.3ha of land was removed from the reserve, but was replaced with 5,160ha of land.

Meanwhile, Sanusi defended his claim that there was a Cabinet directive banning him from federal events, but admitted he had no proof.

He also said his source, who had informed him of the alleged ban, was unable to provide any evidence.

Sanusi said if Putrajaya carried on with its ways, it could forget about winning any of the 36 seats in the Kedah state polls.

Last week, deputy prime minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi denied Sanusi’s claim that the menteri besar had been banned from federal events including the Langkawi International Maritime and Aerospace Exhibition (Lima) in May. - FMT