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Monday, 23 November 2009 16:28 |
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EMBATTLING alleged land conversion irregularities, (read here) the Penang state government has declassified the minutes of the state exco, state land committee and the Penang Development Corporation meetings (PDC) relating to 1.4 hectares in George Town whose status was changed from leasehold to freehold. Read here
The minutes report that the previous state government had agreed in principle to convert the said land status. However, the current state government approved the land conversion after the proposed project was abandoned after YTL’s submission of the development plan to the Penang Municipal Council (MPPP) on Aug 1, 2008. The submission "drew the attention of Unesco which questioned the project’s location within George Town’s heritage buffer zone...To revive the project, to restore the development in the area and to increase the state government and MPPP’s revenue, I held discussions with the relevant parties including YTL,” CM Lim Guan Eng stated. Read here
According to Lim. the conversion to freehold status of a former state land here was done on three conditions: - The height of the building should follow Unesco’s heritage guidelines and should not exceed five storeys
- All costs of land conversion and premium for the freehold land must be borne by YTL
- For PDC’s equity in PHH to increase by 1% to 50%.
Read here, here and here. The declassified minutes also indicated that the state profited RM8.2 million from this conversion. Read here
Meanwhile, this article ("On Penang’s land conversion", Malaysian Insider, 22.11.09) questions if the laws relating to foreshore land as stated in the National Land Code was upheld during the conversion of the stated site. The writer points out that “the minutes on the land conversion reveal that the state legal advisers had reminded LGE that the site is foreshore land, that under the National Land Code proviso it cannot be converted from leasehold to freehold status”.
However, the Penang state government refutes the allegations and maintains that no laws were broken in any way in this circumstance. Read hereÂ
In related news, this article ("Transparency and information", Malaysian Insider, 22.11.09) suggests that the Selangor and Penang state governments have been using transparency and information to good effect by declassifying reports that have privileged information to break down the "barriers that have kept people in ignorance for so long and unable to decide what are their options". Other news Out to tap India: Penang is looking to explore untapped markets in India with Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng planning a visit to the country in January. He said besides enhancing cultural and tourism ties, the state was looking to boost trade relations specifically in the field of technology. Read here Penang council may be first to appoint woman president: The Penang Municipal Council (MPPP) may soon become the first local government to appoint a woman as municipal council president. Read here Penang hikes charges for land, property projects: In a bid to rake in additional revenue and prod development projects in the state, the Penang government has overhauled its charges for land and property projects for the first time in more than 20 years. Read here Detailed town census to begin in heritage zone: The George Town Population and Land Use Survey that is being carried out in the heritage core and buffer zones here is the first detailed integrated survey of its kind to be conducted in the country. Read here Another eviction woe in Penang: Penang has yet another village eviction issue on its hands, as some 250 families living at a fringe of the Royal Malaysian Air Force Base (RMAF) in Butterworth have been asked to move out of the land which comes under the purview of the Defence Ministry. Read here Construction of Penang Sentral to start next year: Construction work on the RM2bil Penang Sentral project in Butterworth is expected to kick off next year. Malaysian Resources Corp Bhd (MRCB) executive director Datuk Zaki Zahid said land acquisition, which was progressing smoothly, would take some time to be completed. Read here
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