In the wake of the recent controversial land deal implicating the MCA secretary-general Ong Ka Chuan in Pasir Pinji, Perak, another controversy of similar nature has emerged, involving a land deal in Klang which implicates another top party official.

This time, the party’s treasurer general Lau Yin Pin has been challenged by a party divisional chairperson over a “false declaration” allegedly made over a land purchase application in Klang, Selangor.

Kapar divisional chairperson Khoh Siew Kim has publicly called on the party’s treasurer to openly clarify the alleged “false declaration” in a land purchase application which the latter has submitted to the Klang land committee in 2005.

“I am giving the party’s treasurer-general an opportunity to explain to the public why did he (Lau) make a false declaration in the land application form by providing an address which upon investigation actually showed belonged to an Indian family,” Khoh told Malaysiakini.

He added that Lau at no material time lived at the address as a resident.

“In fact, the Indian family has been living there for more than 10 years at the time Lau made his formal application and claiming the address to be his place of stay,” Khoh added.

“I have a copy of the declaration form and if Lau does not come out with a public explanation, a police report will be lodged against him for making a false declaration which is a criminal offence,” said Khoh.

“This is tantamount to cheating by declaring false information and purportedly as a resident when he was not,” the Kapar divisional chairman said.

He however stressed that the division was not questioning Lau’ right to apply or purchase the land.

State government to review
The re-surfacing of the dubious land application case was also brought back to the public’s attention when the Selangor Menteri Besar Khalid Ibrahim recently announced that certain land cases including those in Kapar would be investigated and reviewed.

The controversial land deal was first questioned by the then state opposition leader Teng Chang Kim in the state assembly in April 2005 who asked how certain politicians had benefitted from the deal.

Following that the Klang district office lodged police reports against three representatives of Kampung Perepat TOL holders, alleging that the trio had issued false and misleading statements to the press as well as possessing government documents classified under the Official Secret Act. No report was however lodged against any politician.

And on April 21, 2005 it was also reported that the Selangor state secretary Ramlan Othman had openly admitted that the approval was a mistake and nothing could be done about the land title issued. He had cited the national land code which stated that once a land title was issued, it “cannot be revoked”.

Responding to this now, Khoh said that an investigation on the matter was carried out following a public complaint lodged at his divisional office.

He added that the findings concluded that the party’s treasurer-general had made a “false declaration”, claiming an address as his residence in order to purchase the land which was tantamount to “cheating” the state government.

“Now we want him to explain or clarify, failing which, a police report will be made,” said Khoh.

This Kapar land issue closely follows another land scandal involving the party in Pasir Pinji, Perak where the Ipoh Timur MCA division has allegedly involved in a land deal in an “improper and immoral” manner.

MCA detractors are blaming Perak MCA chief and party secretary general Ong Ka Chuan for the loss of the Pasir Pinji state seat in the March 8 general election by giving approval for the land deal.