5th May 2007 at Tanjung Rambutan
Loh Kweok Choon has been a tropical fish farmer for the last 10 years and farming on a piece of land near the town of Tanjung Rambutan at mukim Ulu Kinta., Perak. Prior to that the same area was operated by one Chin Sin Tai who handed over the operations to
Loh Kweok Choon (Loh).
As this agro business was on state land Loh was advised by his friends and family to apply to the relevant authorities for the alienation of the said land. As a result
Loh made frequent visits to the Ipoh land office from the year 2000 for the purposes to have the said land on which he was operating the agro business to be alienated to him. He frequently met a person by the name of Mohd Shabari Bin Haji Ghazali who was attached to the land office. After many visits finally on 24th July 2003 the application for the land was lodged at the land office Ipoh.
Subsequently , by letter dated 4th August 2003 the land offices wrote a letter and duly acknowledge Loh’s application and the letter was signed by Mohd. Shabari Bin Haji Ghazali.
With great expectations Loh continued to invest on the said land. Loh and his family have expended more than RM 150,000 in infrastructure and on incidentals for the growth and progress of the farm. The above investments were also expended for the building of 17 fish ponds.
After lodging of the application, he was informed by Mohd. Shabri and others in the Ipoh land office that his application was under process.
By a letter dated 24th March 2004 Halizah the Deputy Director of the Ipoh land office duly informed Loh that his application for the said land has been rejected on the ground that the land has been alienated to “Agensi / Badan lain”
Out of the blue some 3 months ago Mohd Shabari called over and met Loh and told him that the said land has bee alienated to Mohd Shabari’s wife. Thus if Loh wanted to continue to be on the land the only way out was to rent the agro land from Mohd.Shabari wife. Loh was advised to meet Shabari lawyers to sign the rental agreement.
Loh and his family are unhappy and puzzle with the state authorities and want to know;
1)How and for what good reason was the agro land given/alienated to Mohd. Shabri wife?
2) What expertise or knowledge Shabri’s wife has for the land to be alienated to her?
3) How can Mohd. Shabari use inside information to procure the land for his own benefit. 4) Mohd Shabari being a public officer has a fiduciary duty to all citizens.
This act is contrary to all accepted norms and practice of good and honest discharge of public duty. The Malay saying of “Harapan pagar, pagar makan padi” is most apt in our case.
We know that under the National Land Code alienation of land is vested with the state authority. The question is how the agro land can be alienated to a land office clerk wife while the clerk is processing the application?
The Abdullah Badawi administration have expressed the promotion and the growth of agriculture and Argo related business under the 9th Malaysia Plan (9 MP). In fact under the 9 MP a sum of RM11.5 billion of which a sum RM9.96 billion has been set aside for the development and continuous progress of this industry.
The Government even launched the Dasar Pertanian Negara ketiga (1998-2010) to further promote and growth of the agro industry. The Federal Government can have the best of intentions and policies. But why is the State Government doing the opposite to frustrate the fish farming business by alienating land to one who knows nothing of this business.
The Perak State Exco who had approved the alienation of this land to Mohd Shabari wife has to dig into their conscience and justify as to why this land was not alienated to Loh in the first place. How are we going to attain all the proposed polices as intended by the Federal government if the state authorities are just doing the opposite?
The State Government, State Exco and the Ipoh land office must state openly the criteria used for the alienation of land to its citizens. The present policy is secret and is open to abuse and leads to corruptive practice.
The Perak State Exco has approved the land to Shabri’s wife without any justifiable reason. We call upon the exco to carry out independent investigations on this matter and alienate the land to Loh.
POSTED BY kula ON 05.07.07 @ 3:55 am |
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