http://dapmalaysia.org  

Kisah Benar Seorang Menteri Besar: Questions Adnan Yaccob needs to answer the people of Pahang without waiting for police investigations on his alleged involvement in a land fiasco   Press Statement by Ronnie Liu Tian Khiew (Petaling Jaya, Tuesday): Syed Ali Badarudin Syed Osman, a company director of Seruan Gemilang Makmur Sdn Bhd (a logging company operating in Pahang) has lodged a police report on 22 Dec 2003 at the Tun H S Lee Police Station in Kuala Lumpur against Adnan Yaccob, alleging him for misuse of powers as the highest state government officer.  In the police report dated 22 Dec 2003, Syed Ali Badarudin claims that on 31 July 2000, the Director of Pahang State Forestry Department has given a letter of approval to his company to extract timbers from “Tanah Milik” UMNO (PT 6959) in Kg Nenasi, Mukim Bebar Daerah Pekan. This plot of land measures about 3,237.56 hectares or 8,000 acres.  The approval was given on the basis of Borang 5 (Form 5), i.e. for Tanah Milik (private land). Syed Ali Badarudin claimed that the approval was obtained after the application was approved by the Menteri Besar of Pahang Dato’ Seri Adnan Yaccob.     (The difference between tanah milik and tanah kerajaan in Pahang :-  for logging on tanah milik, one only needs the approval from the MB; for logging on tanah kerajaan, one needs the approval from the State Exco. One also needs to pay premiums for tanah kerajaan before logging is allowed. Premiums for swampy lands- RM2, 000 to 3,000 per acre; hilly slopes- RM 4,000 to 5,000 per acre. Premiums will be determined after inspections conducted by forestry rangers)   Syed Ali Badarudin also claimed that the approval granted by the Director of Pahang Forestry Department with the endorsement from the Menteri Besar was not in accordance with the normal procedure specified in the circular sent out by the Pahang State Forestry Department.   He claimed that all approval on the basis of Form 5 must be accompanied with a copy of the said land title certified true by the District Land Office Administrator or the Land and Mines Department Director. This was not complied with according to Syed Ali Badarudin.  Syed also claimed that a letter from the Pahang UMNO dated 21 Dec 2000 stated clearly that the plot of land still belongs to the state government. In fact, the Menteri Besar has scribbled some words on the letter, directing the Pekan Land Office Administrator to proceed for submission to the State Exco (Silalah kaji dan bawa ke MMK. Wassalam). The directive was chopped and signed by Adnan on 22 Dec 2000. It’s therefore difficult for Adnan to deny that he has no knowledge of the status the said plot of land at that point of time.   Based on the letter from the Pekan Land Office Administrator to the Secretary of Pahang UMNO dated 31 July 2001, the said plot of land was still referred as state land and not “tanah milik” UMNO.  On a letter dated 13 May 2002, the Pahang Forestry Department Director has again approved a piece of land measures about 809.39 hectares or 2,000 acres with the endorsement of the Menteri Besar, allowing Seruan Gemilang Makmur to extract timbers from the said plot of land on the basis of Borang 5. This has again contravened with the normal procedure.  For the above reasons, Syed Ali Badarudin claimed that the Menteri Besar of Pahang has approved these applications without following the right procedures. He claimed that the MB has misused his powers, and he wanted the police to start investigation on the MB without fear or favour.  Syed has also submitted the police a copy of a letter sent out by the MB office to the Pahang Barisan Nasional Office as evidence.  Dato’ Seri Adnan Yaccob needs to answer the following questions immediately instead of waiting for the result of the investigations conducted by the police over his alleged involvement in the above land fiasco:  Has he got the right to grant 10,000 acres or more to any company for logging? How often has he been granting 10,000 acres or more to other companies or individuals? Was there a conflict of interest or misuse of power on his part in granting lands for UMNO? Didn’t the former PM Dr Mahathir has said that no political party including UMNO should be given any land by the state government? How UMNO could treats forest reserves and state lands as their own properties and start giving out the rights for logging to private companies? Has UMNO paid any premiums for the timbers and lands given to the party? Has UMNO been given thousands of acres of state land in the name of planting oil palms? Maybe the Prime Minister could look into the matter personally now that Syed Ali Badarudin Syed Osman of Seruan Gemilang Makmur has told him the truth - kisah benar seorang Menteri Besar. (30/12/2003) * Ronnie Liu, DAP National Publicity Secretary