Selangor Menteri Besar Dr Mohd Khir Toyo has warned faction-ridden MCA not to play with fire by dragging him into the partys internal squabbles.

Khir said he was made an unwitting party in MCAs Team A and Team B fight over a resettlement project for squatters in Ampang Jaya recently, according to news reports today.

Khirs name surfaced when squatters claimed the Selangor state governments decision to sell the land to a developer came after state executive councillor Chng Toh Eng told Khir the land was occupied by squatters.

The state chief said certain quarters with malicious intent had tried to implicate him in the ongoing bickering between the opposing factions in MCA.

Khir also urged MCA leaders to be more responsible towards the people and the country.

We have a bigger enemy to confront such as those who try to overthrow the government by creating social unrest and holding street demonstrations.

We should not ignore the negative consequences which may arise from the pursuit of our political agenda, he was quoted as saying by China Press.

Taking advantage

Last month, MCA deputy president Lim Ah Lek said some 500 families were affected by the eviction order.

He then asked Chng, the state exco from the party, to explain if he was involved in the proposed eviction of these villagers.

Lim had also visited the village earlier, accompanied by other Team B leaders, including vice-president Chua Jui Meng, Youth chief Ong Tee Keat, and Wanita deputy chief Dr Tan Yee Kew.

However, the deputy president reportedly denied he was taking advantage of the situation to attack Chng who is also MCA Selangor Youth chief, aligned to party president Dr Ling Liong Siks Team A.

Chng has denied misleading Khir in any way over the resettlement project.

Meanwhile, Khir also lambasted some of the local media for fanning racial sentiments by reporting that only Chinese squatters were affected while Indonesian squatters were spared.

As the state chief, I would like to remind all parties not to play with fire, regardless of their race, he said.

According to Khir the state government demolishes an average of 150 houses inhabited by Indonesian squatters everyday.

We hope those concerned will not exaggerate the issue and instill racial hatred and destroy the country, he added.

Sensitive issue

In a Nanyang Siang Pau report, Khir was quoted as saying that the Chinese new village was a sensitive issue as about one third of the Chinese population live in these villages.

However, he stressed that the area which is undergoing resettlement in Ampang Jaya was not gazetted as a Chinese new village under the Briggs Plan.

The state chief also said the land where the squatters are facing eviction was a disused mining pond that was reclaimed about 50 years ago.

The people started moving there 30 years ago but all this while, the state government did not issue any land title or temporary occupancy licence to them, he was quoted by the Chinese daily.

He also refuted the claim that some 500 families were affected by the resettlement project, saying only 87 families, of which two were Malays, were involved.

Khir said the resettlement project is part of the state governments effort to eradicate squatter areas by the year 2005.

The policy is not discriminatory against any race. The area in Ampang Jaya lacks the proper facilities and is facing hygiene and flood problems.

I have pointed this out but certain quarters refuse to accept the truth and spread inaccurate information instead, he said.

The Chinese new village concept was introduced in 1940s by the British government to curb the Communist insurgency.