The head of the state investigating team Deputy Chief Minister 1 Mansor Othman will meet representatives from Nusmetro Venture (P) Sdn Bhd tomorrow to demand the developer suspend its imminent demolition operations.
In a clear move to evade any untoward incident on Thursday, Mansor (right) is taking the initiative to talk with Nusmetro, asking them not to execute the court's writ of possession dated effective July 2.Hindu Rights Action Force leader P Uthayakumar has already indicated that he and his supporters would join with the embattled villagers to stop the developer from flattening the village.
Mansor's investigating team was set up on June 8 to probe into the village deals carried out under the previous Barisan Nasional administration.
Kampung Buah Pala villagers and civil societies have long alleged malpractice in land deals pertaining to the controversial development.
Police and MACC come in for flak
They even lodged reports about it early this month with the Malaysian Anti Corruption Commission (MACC) and the police.
They alleged the land office alienated their village land originally under the Brown housing trust and transfered ownership to the state, which subsequently sold the land to a cooperative, Koperasi Pegawai Kanan Kerajaan Pulau Pinang two years ago.
They also wanted the MACC to probe why the previous state government sold the land for a paltry RM3.21 million, or RM11.33 per sq ft, to the cooperative, which they said was far below market value.
Mansor chided MACC and police for being slow in carrying out the investigations.
"As government bodies, both enforcement agencies should have fast-tracked their investigations into the villagers' report. It's a pressing issue that needed swift and decisive action."It's inappropriate for two enforcement agencies to be remiss in their respective duties," said Mansor.
The committee has also finalised the composition of its team which is made up of DCM 2 Dr P Ramasamy, assemblypersons - Seri Delima's RSN Rayer and Batu Uban's VS Raveentharan, and senior lawyer and former Bar Council Penang chairperson CV Prabhakaran.
Mansor refuted claims that the state government had washed its hands over the issue, assuring that Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng (above) was serious about resolving the matter amicably.
Council breached building by-laws
Originally the village was legally gazetted as the Helen Brown housing trust under the Housing Trust Act 1950.
However, in 2005, the land office alienated the land to the state government without dissolving the trust which is a requirement under law.
Penang Island Municipal Council (MPPP) had allegedly given planning approval in 2007 to Umno-linked Nusmetro before the land was legally transferred to the cooperative.
This is a breach of the council's building by-laws.
The land was only transferred on March 27 last year - nine days after Pakatan Rakyat captured Penang in the general election.
The land transfer was done by certain land officers without the knowledge of the current government.On Hindraf, Mansor refuted the movement's claims that the state government had failed to do enough to save the village, the only Indian urban village left in Penang.
"We respect Hindraf's views and opinions. But not all what it claims is true," he said, stressing that the state government was sincere in helping the villagers.
Hindraf will organise nationwide rallies tomorrow evening outside Komtar, and DAP head offices in Ipoh, Kuala Lumpur, Seremban, Malacca, Johor Bahru to protest against what it alleged as Penang DAP-dominated government's incompetence to end the villagers' predicament.
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