CAUGHT WITH PANTS DOWN, S'gor BN rushes to pass 'land-grab' buck to

CAUGHT WITH PANTS DOWN, S'gor BN rushes to pass 'land-grab' buck to
each other
Written by Tony Pua



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It is so hopelessly hilarious to see how UMNO Selangor leaders
scrambling to disclaim responsibility and knowledge over their role in
the state land grab scandal.
We have on Tuesday exposed a 87,188 square feet of land which was
given to UMNO Subang at dirt cheap nominal prices in Ara Damansara in
2004. This piece of land has since been developed into a 200-unit
Suria Damansra Condomium launched in 2006. This condominium is worth
an estimated RM90 million based on today's prices.
UMNO and MCA state assemblymen, Abdul Shukor Idrus and Wong Koon Mun
had explained during the last state assembly sitting that the land
they received on the cheap were used for the community, such as
kindergartens or public community halls.
We had called on them to explain where exactly is the kindergarten and
the community halls in this 87,188 sq ft of land. This is the first of
the 24 parcels of land which we will expose as a clear cut case of
abuse of power and corruption by the Barisan Nasional government
during their reign from 2000 to 2008.
Caught with their pants down
Having been caught with their pants down, UMNO leaders are now
fumbling to deny their complicity in the land-grab, and blame other
UMNO leaders.
When contacted by the press, Subang Umno division chief Muhammad
Bushro Mat Johor, said there is no such land in possession of Subang
Umno. "No, there is not even a single piece of land listed in Subang
Umno's asset list since I became the division chief," he said. However
when pressed with evidence, the Paya Jaras assemblyperson pointed that
any query on the land is best directed to the previous division chief.
However, the previous division chief, Datuk Mokhtar Dahlan when
queried, then passed the buck to Kelana Jaya Umno acting chief Yahya
Bujang. He claimed that although it was Subang UMO which received the
land, "the land was handed over to Kelana Jaya Umno after a
constituency re-delineation exercise in 2004."
Unfortunately, and coincidentally, Yahya Bujang is out of the country
and is hence unable to respond immediately to the allegations. Datuk
Mokhtar Dahlan had disclosed however, that the land was originally
intended for the construction of UMNO Subang's Division Headquarters.
It is a clear admission that BN had abused its powers to benefit the
interest of its component parties.
At the same time, the Opposition Leader in Selangor Datuk Satim Diman
pleaded ignorance when queried and responded that said the matter
should be referred instead to Umno Selangor secretary Datuk Mohd Zin
Mohamed.
Mohd Zin, then with great finesse , responded that he "needs some time
and will respond in due time after his researcher gathers more
information on the allegation."
Biggest disappointment: Total silence from Najib
The passing the buck game cannot be any more comical than the above.
UMNO knows that they've been caught red-handed putting their hands
into cookie jar, and no one wants to accept responsibility for robbing
the people's land for their own profit.
The biggest disappointment for all Malaysians, and particularly
Selangorians, is the fact that the Prime Minister has remained
steadfastly silent on the above issue, despite his insistence that
UMNO has "transformed". Datuk Seri Najib Razak who is also the
Selangor UMNO Chief must get his house in order by explaining the land
grab scandal and accepting responsility for UMNO's sins. He must make
amends for UMNO's corrupt policies of the past be returning all such
ill-gained profits to the state government for the benefit of the
rakyat.

Tony Pua is the DAP MP for PJ Utara