Sand industry: Do not bow to Umno
A body representing sand entrepreneurs, contractors and buyers in Selangor has urged the Selangor Pakatan government not to bow to pressure from the state BN, which is targeting the dissolution of the state-owned sand mining company Kumpulan Semesta Sdn Bhd (KSSB).
A body representing sand entrepreneurs, contractors and buyers in Selangor has urged the Selangor Pakatan government not to bow to pressure from the state BN, which is targeting the dissolution of the state-owned sand mining company Kumpulan Semesta Sdn Bhd (KSSB).
The group’s chairperson, Raja Kamarudin Raja Abd Wahid, (holding microphone) fears that if KSSB is dissolved, the licences which they have received from the company will also be revoked.
“We will suffer huge losses as a result of this. Will Umno/BN (the opposition in Selangor) pay for the losses?” he asked when handing over a memorandum to Yaakob Sapari, the Selangor exco for modern agriculture, natural resources and entrepreneur development.
“What is even more frightening is that the opposition has also called on Selangor not to issue any more sand dredging permits on state land."
Raja Kamarudin, along with 50 supporters, handed over the memorandum to Yaakob at the lobby of the Selangor state secretariat in Shah Alam.
Umno left only ‘holes’
He also asked for more permits to be issued to mine sand on private land.
“Most of the private land in Selangor have been sapu (swiped) by the BN and Umno cronies.
“What is left for the Pakatan administration are holes in the ground excavated by the BN and Umno when they were in power,” said Raja Kamarudin.
After accepting the memorandum, Yaakob gave an assurance that the Selangor government will not bow to pressure.
He said the state government will maintain KSSB to ensure that revenue from sand mining goes back to the government, and that competitiveness and opportunities for contractors continue to exist.
"In the past, there was only one company (allowed to mine sand in the state).
"Now there are 18 companies which have entered (the business) through open tender with KSSB," he said.
Yaakob (left) said the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission has, since detaining his assistant in January this year, not found any evidence of wrongdoing by KSSB.
He also reminded sand operators to abide by the conditions of their licences and stay within the law.
