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DAP Perak demands a stop to BN Perak State Government’s arbitrary implementation of law and its short-term lease-hold policy which are factors causing the economic woes to Ipoh City   Press Statement by Ngeh Koo Ham (Ipoh, Wednesday): MCA executive councilor, Datuk Ho Cheong Sing’s announcement yesterday that MCA Perak Chairman, Datuk Ong Ka Chuan has obtained the consent from Menteri Besar of Perak, Dato’ Seri Tajol Rosli to allow lease hold properties in Pasir Pinji, Kampung Simee and Buntong to be extended for 60 years or 99 years.  A day earlier, Tebing Tinggi Assemblyman Datuk Chew Wai Khoon had stated that under the State Land and Mines policy, villages with town land status could only be granted an extension of 30 years.   This only goes to confirm that the Perak State Government is presently  running the Perak State in an  arbitrary manner and not base on rule of law.   MCA recently promised the people that the ‘holding hands’ issue in Ipoh has been solved just because the Menteri Besar has announced a temporary suspension of the enforcement of the Ipoh City Park rules while the rules remains unchanged.   This arbitrary implementation of law is what frightens investors from Ipoh as there is no certainty when dealing with the Perak State Government.   As a senior lawyer leading the Perak DAP 23-lawyers Public Interest Legal Bureau team, I would like to remind the Ipoh residents that MCA’s promises are empty promises unless they have been gazetted as law. Promises made even by the Menteri Besar unless gazetted as law remains an empty promise.   In 1998, Perak DAP took up the plight of Jelapang Tambahan & Meru Tin residents who were facing eviction because the State Government had alienated their land to a developer, Wise Fair Sdn Bhd. DAP Leaders met up with the then Menteri Besar, Tan Sri Ramli Ngah Talib and in the presence of the Mr Lim Kit Siang, Perak ( then DAP Secrectary General and now DAP National Chairman ), Mr M Kulasegaran (Perak State Secretary),  Y. B. Hu Chan You (Perak Assemblyman) and I (Perak DAP Chairman) he gave the assurance that the State Government would take back the land from the developer, subdivide it and gave the subdivided plots to the residents as promised to them when they were relocated there.    Tan Sri Ramli Ngah Talib then openly promised the residents that he would solve the problem. MCA took the opportunity to ask the residents not to further seek the help of DAP as the Menteri Besar had promised to solve the problem. A representative from the committee politely thank me for our help and informed me that our help was no longer needed. The problem was never solved and the property came up for auction last year ! People must not be taken in by empty election promises.   The short lease for town land is another example why investors have shied away from Ipoh or leave Ipoh. Why should one invest large amount of money on a property when its value is diminishing every year and finally revert back to the state? A very clear example is when the Perak State Government ‘seize’ the Royal Ipoh Golf Club when its 60 years lease expired a few years ago.   The people of  Ipoh must demand  that MCA and the State Government to put a stop to this arbitrary rule and that the short lease policy must be changed. If not, Ipoh will deteriorate further from its existing economic woes.   I call on the Government to grant freehold status to the properties owned by the  residents of Ipoh which will immediately enrich them as their value will increase. This will encourage existing investors to stay and attract new investors to Ipoh.   (16/7/2003) *  Ngeh Koo Ham, DAP Perak Chairman