theSun | TUESDAY AUGUST 4 2009 5

news without borders

Exco seeks
State cautions land owner China
to stop Liow
remarking
against demolition
seals off
plague
town on temple
pg 7 by Opalyn Mok
newsdesk@thesundaily.com

by Himanshu Bhatt
and Bernard Cheah
newsdesk@thesundaily.com
GEORGE TOWN: As an eviction dead-
line for Kampung Buah Pala residents
lapsed yesterday, tensions escalated,
with the state cautioning the new land
owner against bringing bulldozers in,
lest it find approval for its development
project terminated.
Speaking at a press conference at his
office yesterday morning, Penang Chief
Minister Lim Guan Eng said Section
25 of the Town and Country Planning
Act empowered the state to revoke the
permit for the condominium project,
dubbed “The Oasis”.
However, the land owner, Koperasi
Pegawai Kerajaan Negri Pulau Pinang,
said it was planning to begin demolition
today, Bernama reported.
Its chairman, Abdul Razak Man-
sor, said the co-operative had deferred
demolition by one day on humanitarian
grounds, to allow residents to move their
belongings.
High Chaparral still stands after deadline
GEORGE TOWN: Some 400 resi-
dents gathered in Kampung Buah
Pala, popularly known as Penang’s
High Chaparral, in tense anticipation
of bulldozers flattening their village
yesterday.
The crowd, however, was left
waiting as there was no sign of
a demolition team or uniformed
personnel from the police or the
Federal Reserve Unit.
A few lorries were seen collect-
ing chairs and tents that had been
put up for a cultural celebration,
which had included a bullfight, at
the village on Sunday.
Present to lend support were
non-governmental as well as political
organisations such as the Marginal-
ised People’s Network (Jerit), Parti
Socialis Malaysia, Hindraf and MIC.
A group of villagers and their sup-
porters then adjourned to submit a
memorandum to Chief Minister Lim
Guan Eng at his office, calling on the
state to stop any demolition of the
century-old settlement – the oldest
He said he hoped they would cooper-
ate by leaving the area without trouble.
Lim maintained the state’s stand,
stressing that the developer, Nusmetro
Ventures (P) Sdn Bhd, had been issued
with a letter informing it of the state’s
powers under the Act.
He also said the state had to respect
a Federal Court decision awarding the
land to the co-operative.
“Likewise, the koperasi should also
respect the law in that the state can
revoke its approval for development.”
Lim said negotiations for a new deal
should be pursued by all parties. In a
meeting with him on Saturday, Kam-
pung Buah Pala residents had agreed to
consider moving to an adjacent site as
an intact heritage community, pending a
detailed proposal from the developer.
Abdul Razak, however, had report-
edly said on Sunday that the cooperative
would not entertain any request from
the state to negotiate the matter until the
houses were demolished.
“The koperasi says we are biased
towards the residents, the residents say
we are biased towards the koperasi and
developer. In order to move forward,
each party has to move a step backward.
Otherwise, all of us will go backwards,”
Lim said.
He also noted that the full council
meeting of the Penang Island Municipal
Council that approved the project under
Barisan Nasional had included three
MIC councillors.
Meanwhile, Ng Wei Aik, the chief
minister’s political secretary, said the
state had instructed the Penang Water
Supply Corporation not to cut off supply
to Kampung Buah Pala, and was work-
ing on asking Tenaga Nasional Bhd to
maintain power to the village.
He also said Sri Delima assemblyman
R.S.N. Rayer was filing an application
in court to invoke Section 116 of the
National Land Code, in an attempt to
stop the demolition.
The section stipulates that a building
on alienated land cannot be demolished,
altered or extended without the prior
consent in writing of the appropriate
authority.
GEORGE TOWN: State executive council-
lor Wong Hon Wai is having a legal notice of
demand sent to MCA vice-president Datuk Seri
Liow Tiong Lai to stop him from making mali-
cious remarks on the demolition of an illegal
structure on a playground in Butterworth.
Wong, who is also the housing, town and
country planning committee chairman, said he
had instructed his lawyers to issue the letter to
Liow to remind him not to continue to make
inflammatory and false remarks on the issue.
“I am sending this legal notice in my capac-
ity as the chairman of the Non-Muslim Houses
of Worship Committee to say that the words he
was quoted to have used in an article which
appeared in an English national newspaper
on June 27 are false, highly malicious and
calculated to incite racial disharmony,” Wong
said at his office yesterday.
In the article, Liow, who is also Penang
MCA liaison head, blamed the current state
Residents government for allegedly demolishing a Taoist
and temple in Butterworth and demanded that the
represent- state government apologise to the public.
atives of Wong said the notice would also serve as
NGOs and a reminder to other MCA leaders not to use
political the demolition of the illegal structure as an
groups in issue for the upcoming Permatang Pasir by-
Kampung election.
Buah Pala
yesterday.
“The notice states that I reserve the right to
take legal action against Liow and any MCA
leader who insists on spreading lies and mali-
cious talk on the issue.”
The issue in question is the demolition of
an illegal structure built by the Tua Pek Kong
Temple committee on a playground on state
land in Tanjung Indah, Sungai Puyu.
The original temple was located just 20m
from the playground and had been squatting
on private property since 2004, after the temple
was given compensation to relocate to another
private land earmarked for development.
Facing eviction by the current land owner,
the temple had initially started to build a struc-
ture on the playground without the approval of
the local council.
The council had torn down the partially-
built structure following complaints from
residents. The original temple however, being
on private land, was left intact.
Liow and other MCA leaders including
MCA Youth chief Datuk Dr Wee Ka Siong
have issued media statements that the current
state government had allowed a temple in
Butterworth to be torn down.
Sungai Puyu assemblyman Phee Boon Poh,
showing a picture of the temple, denied that
the temple had been torn down.
MASRY CHE ANI/THESUN

Indian village in Penang. “What was torn down was an illegal struc-
Lim’s political secretary Ng Wei Aik ture. The temple is still there. As it is in my
received the memorandum from the constituency, I am willing to resign if Liow or
village association’s chairman M.J. Wee can prove that it has been torn down,”
Sugumaran. Police then ordered the he said. “If they don’t respond to this within a
group to disperse at about 11.30am. week, I will label them liars.”

residents in the area the option Bhd official Liza Ali con-

‘MPSP failed to allocate land for briefs

non-Muslim places of worship’
GEORGE TOWN: No land
has been allocated for non-
Muslim houses of worship
in Butterworth since 2003
despite new guidelines for
the Seberang Perai Municipal
Council (MPSP) to make
such allocations for new dev-
elopment projects.
Non-Muslim Houses Of
Worship Committee chair-
man Wong Hon Wai said the
council had not adhered to
guidelines under the Penang
Structural Plan which stated
that each development must
allocate for each resident
0.1sq m to construct houses of
worship.
“The Penang Island
Municipal Council (MPPP)
is adhering to this guideline
but the MPSP has failed to do
so, resulting in no new land
being allocated for non-Mus-
lim houses of worship on the
mainland,” he said.
Wong, who is also the
housing, town and country
planning committee chair-
man, said this weakness in
the system had been identified
and the issue raised at a state
executive council meeting last
week.
“The state exco has decided
to instruct the MPSP to adhere
to the guidelines that the MPPP
is currently using in approving
any development plan.”
He said the MPPP and
MPSP were also instructed
to build a database of non-
Muslim houses of worship by
compiling information on land
allocated for the purpose.
“The database will need to
be submitted to the Non-Mus-
lim Houses Of Worship Com-
mittee every three months.”
Wong also said any appli-
cation by a developer to pay
a token sum instead of al-
locating land for non-Muslim
houses of worship must be
referred to the committee for
a decision.
Work on Kesas
link resumes
PETALING JAYA: Work on
the Kinrara Utara junction
connecting the Shah Alam
Highway (Kesas) to Jalan Klang
Lama that had been on hold
since 1995 has resumed and
is expected to be completed
by October next year.
Works Minister Datuk Shazi-
man Abu Mansor said work on
the connection and building
of the RM13.6 million 380m
three-lane interchange started
in mid-July and would reduce
congestion on Jalan Klang
Lama, besides providing some
of using the Kesas Highway.
He said the project had
been deferred due to financial
firmed that the tugboat had
been released. She however
said the tugboat was still
constraints and that an al-
location was approved by the
in a zone considered to be
dangerous. – Bernama
government only in 2007.
State assembly
Pirates release sits on Monday
M’sian tugboat GEORGE TOWN: The 12th
KUALA LUMPUR: The tugboat Penang State Assembly will
Masindra 7, hijacked by pi- reconvene on Monday. Speaker
rates off Somalia on Dec 16 Datuk Abdul Halim Hussain said
last year, had been released a motion was expected to be
on Sunday. tabled at the two-day meeting.
It is understood all 11 It is understood the motion
Indonesian crew members would call on the federal gov-
are safe and in good health. ernment to allow local govern-
Masindra 7 was hijacked ment elections in Penang.
by pirates while on the Deputy Chief Minister (I)
return trip to Malaysia after Mansor Othman will be sworn
completing a contract job in in as assemblyman following
the Middle East. his victory in the Penanti by-
Masindra Shipping Sdn election on May 31.