Selangor Menteri Besar Abdul Khalid Ibrahim said today it is too late for Yayasan Melaka to come to the aid of Yayasan Basmi Kemiskinan (YBK) Selangor to settle the arrears in quit rent amounting to RM5.7 million.

He said this was because the arrears was for eight years.

"One year is OK, (but) it is eight years, too long. Now there is transparency and accountability, we have to be transparent," he told reporters after opening the Worldwide Holdings Bhd's waste disposal centre at Bukit Kerayong in Kuala Selangor.

He was commenting on the statement by Melaka Chief Minister Mohd Ali Rustam on Saturday that Yayasan Melaka was prepared to assist YBK Selangor to settle the arrears in quit rent if the Selangor government agreed to extend the payment to Feb 1.

Earlier, YBK Selangor chairman Zainal Abidin Sakom was reported by the media as saying that the foundation had to settle the quit rent on the 526-hectare land in Serendah, Rawang on Jan 30.

Khalid also suggested that Yayasan Melaka should purchase the land at market price if it truly wanted to assist YBK in developing the Universiti Teknologi Mara campus there.

Asked whether the state government would seize the land, Khalid said: "It will be done according to procedures."

There were villagers whose land were seized for late payment of quit rent, he added.

- Bernama