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Tuesday, 7 July 2009

Kg Buah Pala a state not federal issue: Najib

KUALA LUMPUR, 6 July 2009: Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak said the federal government will not intervene in the Kampung Buah Pala issue as it was a matter that had to be dealt with by the Penang government.

Asked to comment on reports that Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng would write a letter to seek assistance from the federal government to resolve the issue, Najib said that since land was a state matter, the Kampung Buah Pala issue would be under the purview of state authorities.

"If we are to intervene, it would create a major precedent and we will be asked to intervene in other cases as well," he told reporters after the groundbreaking ceremony for the 50-storey Naza Group office tower here.

Lim reportedly said the assistance Penang was seeking from the federal government concerned the acquisition of a piece of land from Koperasi Pegawai Kerajaan Pulau Pinang, and the payment of compensation to developer Nusmetro Ventures (P) Sdn Bhd to enable the 23 families to continue staying in Kampung Buah Pala.

Kampung Buah Pala residents would have to vacate the land after the Federal Court dismissed their appeal to remain in the area, which they have been occupying for a long time. They refused to move out, and had asked the Penang state government to intervene to resolve the problem. — Bernama

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