Penang UMNO duo admit sale of Balik Pulau Malay land...

The two Penang Umno leaders accused of selling a plot of land in Balik Pulau and profiting from it have admitted they did so, however claiming that they were forced to do this because their company was ‘blacklisted’ by the state government.

Umno Bukit Gelugor division head Omar Faudzar (right) denied allegations that their company sold the 4ha of land in Kampung Terang which they purchased from villagers, and reaped a profit of RM5 million in just four months.

“We were forced to sell the land as our company (Aseania Group of Companies) was blacklisted,” Omar, also the state BN strategy implemention chief, was quoted in The Star today as saying.

Omar said that every development project must go through the state planning committee chairperson - Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng - for approval.

“For instance, when we submitted a plan to build semi-detached houses in Bandar Perda in 2011, we were told to pay RM516,000 premium to build affordable housing, he claimed during a press conference in Penang yesterday.

Omar conceded that the land in Kampung Terang was purchased at RM22 per square foot (psf) in October 2010 and sold to a private developer at RM33 psf on January this year.

Guan Eng accused of land grab

This was contrary to allegations made by PKR Balik Pulau division chief Abdul Halim Hussein, that the Umno leaders profited from a sale after four months of purchasing the land.

Abdul Halim - also the Penang legislative assembly speaker - had alleged that Omar, together with state Umno deputy chief Musa Sheikh Fadzir - are shareholders of Mason Height Sdn Bhd, a subsidiary of Aseania, which sold the land for RM13.5 million after purchasing it from 31 residents.

He was responding to persistent allegations by the state opposition that the Penang government led by Lim had been involved in land grabs, resulting in Malay villagers being evicted from their home land.

Such claims have resulted in many protests by Malay rights pressure group Perkasa, who accused Lim of marginalising the Malay community in Penang.

Meanwhile, Omar claimed that three other companies - Urban Development Authority, JKP Sdn Bhd and Penang Regional Development Authority - were also blacklisted.

But for the past eight years, his company has been involved in building 2,033 low cost and medium cost houses in Balik Pulau priced between RM25,000-RM55,000, he added.

Musa, who is also Umno Bukit Mertajam division chief, dared Abdul Halim instead to speak about the development of the Asian Women Leadership University on 40ha of land in Balik Pulau.- malaysiakini

 Dua pemimpin UMNO mengaku mereka menjual tanah orang Melayu di Balik Pulau...

Dua orang pemimpin UMNO Pulau Pinang yang dituduh menjual sebidang tanah di Balik Pulau dan menerima keuntungan dari hasil jualannya itu,akhirnya telah mengaku mereka melakukan demikian. Namun mereka berkata mereka terpaksa lakukan demikian kerana syarikat mereka telah 'disenaraihitamkan' oleh kerajaan negeri.


Pada awalnya, ketua bahagian UMNO Bukit Gelugor telah menafikan dakwaan yang syarikat mereka menjual 4ha tanah di Kampung Terang yang dibeli dari orang-orang kampung, dan menjual dengan meraih keuntungan RM5 juta dalam hanya empat bulan.


“Kami terpaksa menjual tanah kerana syarikat kami (Aseania Group of Companies) telah disenaraihitamkan,” Omar, juga merupakan pakar strategi BN, telah dipetik dalam The Star hari ini sebagai berkata.

Musa Sheikh Fadir

Sarawak PKR vice-chair killed in copter crash...

Sarawak PKR vice-chairperson Peter Ato Mayau has been killed in a helicopter crash in the hornbill state.

PKR’s Bukit Lanjan state assemblyperson Elizabeth Wong in a Twitter posting confirmed the death.

“Received sad news... that our Keadilan colleague Peter Ato (left) didn’t survive the helicopter crash. Rest in peace,” she posted.

According to Bernama, the Eurocopter EC 120 helicopter belonging to Sebiro Holdings had crashed near the Lingga estuary while flying en route to Nanga Merit from Kuching International Airport yesterday.

Its four passengers were later swept away by strong currents but the helicopter’s German pilot Rico Steger managed to survive after swimming for four hours.

However, Peter, who was an engineer for the company, and two other passengers namely surveyor Siti Khuzaimah Anuar and architect Henry Lau Tee Yong were reported missing.

Peter’s body was the second to be found after Siti Khuzaimah which was discovered this morning.

‘A quiet but principled man’

Sarawak PKR chief Baru Bian in a statement today said Peter’s death came as a shock to the party.

“Peter was a quiet but principled man who believed in the struggle for justice and fairness for the people. He was quietly working and campaigning in the Mambong parliamentary constituency in preparation for the coming general election.

“We thank him for his contribution to the party and to the people of his area. We will miss him as we carry on with our cause,” he said.

He added that PKR “shared in grief” with Peter’s family as they mourn the loss of a loved husband and father.

Condolences messages had also been flowing in Twitter, including from PKR president Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail.

“Condolences to the family of Peter Ato Mayau, Mambong branch chief and Sarawak deputy chief who was invovled in a helicopter accident,” she said in a Twitter posting.

"PKR Youth would like to extend its condolences to the family of Peter Ato Mayau, deputy president of Sarawak PKR who was killed in a helicopter tragedy," posted PKR Youth chief Shamsul Iskandar.

‘One too many crashes’

However, Baru pointed out that there had been too many helicopter accidents in Sarawak over the past few years and called for a thorough investigation of the incident.

"I request that the authorities carry out a thorough investigation into the cause of the crash, and look into the overall safety procedures of helicopter services in the state," he said.

April last year, a helicopter in Sibu crashed while trying to take off after three of its passengers, including an aide to Deputy Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin, had disembarked. Its pilot did not survive.

This was not the first time helicopter crashes in Sarawak have become the centre of attention as in 2004, three helicopters crashed within months, claiming a total of 14 lives.- malaysiakini

 

Naib Pengerusi PKR Terbunuh Helikopter dinaiki mangsa terhempas...

Selang dua jam selepas penemuan mangsa pertama, Siti Khuzaimah Anwar, pasukan mencari dan menyelamat menemui mayat Peter Ato Mayau di perairan berhampiran Kampung Tebelu, Sebuyau.

Timbalan Pesuruhjaya Polis Sarawak Datuk Law Hong Soon yang mengesahkan penemuan kira-kira pada jam 2 petang tadi, berkata mangsa tersebut juga dijumpai dalam keadaan lengkap berpakaian tetapi tanpa jaket keselamatan di tubuh.

Katanya, mayat Peter yang merupakan jurutera Sebiro Holdings dan juga Naib Pengerusi PKR Sarawak itu dibawa ke Hospital Daerah Simunjan untuk bedah siasat.

Pada kira-kira jam 11 pagi tadi, nelayan tempatan menjumpai mayat Khuzaimah seorang daripada tiga yang hilang dalam insiden helikopter terhempas di muara Sungai Teriso, Sri Aman semalam.

Mayat Khuzaimah, 27, dari Semariang di sini, ditemui terapung di kawasan perairan dekat Maludam.

Law berkata mayat mangsa lengkap berpakaian tetapi tanpa jaket keselamatan.  Mayat mangsa dibawa ke Hospital Daerah Simunjan untuk bedah siasat dan akan diserahkan kepada keluarga mangsa.

Gerakan mencari dan menyelamat seorang lagi mangsa insiden helikopter Eurocopter EC120 terhempas milik Sebiro Holdings masih diteruskan membabitkan polis, bomba, JPAM dan penduduk tempatan. Mereka yang masih hilang ialah Peter Ato Mayau dan Henry Loh.

 

cheers.