A consumer cooperative today filed a report with the Anti-Corruption Agency (ACA) against Selangor Menteri Besar Dr Mohd Khir Toyo for not being able to purchase property on the land that they occupy.

The Consumer Cooperative of Midlands Estate Klang Bhd committee members lodged the report with the Selangor ACA headquarters in Shah Alam.

According to the members, Mohd Khir did not give them a shoplot in Section 7, Shah Alam, although they were told more than 10 years ago by state authorities that they would be given the right to purchase a unit.

When they approached the Shah Alam Development Department's Controller Jahidin Ahmad, they were informed that the allocation of the shoplots were handled by the menteri besar.

"This matter dates back to 1991 when part of our land was taken by the Selangor government for development purposes. The National Union of Plantation Workers raised the issue of our resettlement and allocation of replacement houses and shop lots." said committee member S Kumaravel when met.

"However we have not been allowed to purchase a unit in the new shoplot building and after checking we have found that all units have been sold to outsiders. Why are the rightful owners being shunned?" he asked.

The co-operative which was legally registered in 1952 owns a provision store in the estate which they said has been providing for its 200 members up to this day.

"We are afraid that once the existing shop is demolished for more proposed development, our members will no longer be able to enjoy the benefits they have been experiencing for more than 50 years now," said the cooperative's secretary P Munusamy.

"Furthermore the shop now is always flooded during the rainy season. We are entitled to one of the new units," he added when met.

Numerous applications

He said they are not expecting to get the unit for free but are willing to purchase a unit which is estimated at RM200,000.

"Since 1999 we have been making numerous applications to the state development cooperation to allow us to make that purchase. We even got the state executive committee members to endorse our applications," said Munusamy.

The committee members also furnished the ACA with copies of the applications made to the Selangor Economic Development Corporation (SEDC) and letters from Mohd Khir's office to SEDC.

"However after five years since their first application we became suspicious when the matter was not resolved.

"In a desperate move to find out the truth I went to the Planning Unit of the Shah Alam Municipality and checked the records of registered owners of the new shop lots," said Kumaravel.

To his surprise and dismay he claimed to have discovered that the purchasers of the units were not from Shah Alam but rather 'outsiders' from Kuala Lumpur, Kuala Selangor and even Sabak Bernam.

"Why has the state allowed outsiders to purchase it while we, who live one kilometer from the shop lots are not entertained? It has been built on our land, our members lived in the radius, we were promised a unit, so why has this happened?

"In the interest of fairness and justice we want the ACA to investigate the matter thoroughly and identify those responsible regardless of their position or stature," he said.

The group also said they will seek recourse from the federal government and the Human Rights Commission of Malaysia (Suhakam) if the ACA fails to act.

Over the past years, several ACA reports have been lodged against Mohd Khir. A majority of these reports concerned land matters.