Umno branch raps representative over poor compensation for squatters
Residents affected by the proposed New Pantai Expressway today criticised their state assembly representative for not taking seriously their grievances over unsatisfactory compensation and relocation by the project's developer.
Medan Harun Indah Umno branch's deputy chief Mohd Ali Awang, representing 144 families in the area, told a special media briefing the developer broke its words on the compensatory package agreed to by both sides late last year.
He said the developer, NPE Sdn Bhd, initially offered each family RM11,000 plus rental for two years in resettlement area pending the completion of new low-cost houses.
"However, we were told in July that we would be given only RM1,000," said Mohd Ali.
Letters will be sent soon to the developer and the Petaling Jaya Municipal Council, or MPPJ, requesting for a meeting with the company's representatives and local officials to settle the matter within a week's time.
NPE could not be reached for comments.
Mohd Ali reiterated that the residents have resolved not to move without reasonable compensation, adding that they may bring their plight to the Human Rights Commission and Parliament for further action.
Yesterday, at least 100 residents comprising men and women of all ages reportedly demonstrated in the area and demanded the NPE's developer to compensate them reasonably.
The 19.6km NPE, meant to connect key spots in Klang Valley, started in 1997 and was due to be completed by 2003.
The project was however stalled due to the financial crisis then and was only resumed February last year. The highway cuts across several squatter areas such as Medan Harun Indah, off Old Klang Road.
Basic right to housing
Mohd Ali said the residents were frustrated as they had not met any representatives from the developer since the beginning of this year and it was the local government officials who have been dealing with them.
He said the "middle-men" included Selangor state exco and assembly representative for Taman Medan Norkhaila Jamaluddin and MPPJ president Emran Kadir who allegedly told the residents on one occasion that "the council could just tear down the houses" should they refuse to move.
"Norkhaila promised to look into the matter and later told us she could not do anything because the construction company was a subsidiary of the Selangor government. But we found out that it was just a private company," he said.
According to Mohd Ali, during the last meeting with Norkhaila last Thursday, the state assembly member even threatened that she would not entertain any more complaints from the residents if they still rejected the developer's offer.
"We are upset because the leaders we chose have become representatives of company's interests instead of ours," said Mohd Ali who has been staying in the neighbourhood for 25 years.
However, he stressed that the residents were merely exercising their basic right to housing and are neither anti-development nor anti-government.
Manipulated
When contacted, Selangor state exco Norkhaila said the federal government had implemented a new ruling starting April this year that there will be no compensation for squatters residing on government land.
Medan Harun Indah Umno branch's deputy chief Mohd Ali Awang, representing 144 families in the area, told a special media briefing the developer broke its words on the compensatory package agreed to by both sides late last year.
He said the developer, NPE Sdn Bhd, initially offered each family RM11,000 plus rental for two years in resettlement area pending the completion of new low-cost houses.
"However, we were told in July that we would be given only RM1,000," said Mohd Ali.
Letters will be sent soon to the developer and the Petaling Jaya Municipal Council, or MPPJ, requesting for a meeting with the company's representatives and local officials to settle the matter within a week's time.
NPE could not be reached for comments.
Mohd Ali reiterated that the residents have resolved not to move without reasonable compensation, adding that they may bring their plight to the Human Rights Commission and Parliament for further action.
Yesterday, at least 100 residents comprising men and women of all ages reportedly demonstrated in the area and demanded the NPE's developer to compensate them reasonably.
The 19.6km NPE, meant to connect key spots in Klang Valley, started in 1997 and was due to be completed by 2003.
The project was however stalled due to the financial crisis then and was only resumed February last year. The highway cuts across several squatter areas such as Medan Harun Indah, off Old Klang Road.
Basic right to housing
Mohd Ali said the residents were frustrated as they had not met any representatives from the developer since the beginning of this year and it was the local government officials who have been dealing with them.
He said the "middle-men" included Selangor state exco and assembly representative for Taman Medan Norkhaila Jamaluddin and MPPJ president Emran Kadir who allegedly told the residents on one occasion that "the council could just tear down the houses" should they refuse to move.
"Norkhaila promised to look into the matter and later told us she could not do anything because the construction company was a subsidiary of the Selangor government. But we found out that it was just a private company," he said.
According to Mohd Ali, during the last meeting with Norkhaila last Thursday, the state assembly member even threatened that she would not entertain any more complaints from the residents if they still rejected the developer's offer.
"We are upset because the leaders we chose have become representatives of company's interests instead of ours," said Mohd Ali who has been staying in the neighbourhood for 25 years.
However, he stressed that the residents were merely exercising their basic right to housing and are neither anti-development nor anti-government.
Manipulated
When contacted, Selangor state exco Norkhaila said the federal government had implemented a new ruling starting April this year that there will be no compensation for squatters residing on government land.
"I tried to explain this to the residents but they would not listen. I even persuaded the developer to give them RM1,000 plus 18 months of rental in the Lembah Subang resettlement area," she said.
Norkhaila claimed that the residents were manipulated by "a handful of people" who already bought their low-cost houses and only cared about their self-interests.
She said the deadline for the residents to move was yesterday but she had appealed to both MPPJ and the developer to extend it to Oct 1.
The state assembly representative also clarified that she only told the residents that the Malaysian Highway Authority was a government company and it had appointed NPE Sdn Bhd for the highway construction.
Request ignored
Resident Kamaruzzaman Shamsuddin, 41, told malaysiakini that he was unhappy with the manner in which the flat units in the resettlement area were assigned.
"I requested for a unit on the ground level because my child suffers Down Syndrome and may not be able to travel up and down but the authorities just ignored me," he said.
Medan Harun Indah Umno branch's Youth chief Misfan Tumiran said there were 205 families in the area but some of them had moved out in recent months.
"The developer paid each of these families RM776 and they just moved out because they did not want to prolong their uncertainty," said Misfan.
