Press Release

Penang on sale … Jual Murah ???

Oct 20, 2020

How much of the state’s landbank has been sold off in Penang?

  1. Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow must disclose how much of state land in Penang has been sold off since the DAP assumed power in 2008 and what is the full sum of monies collected from these sales.
  2. Gerakan vice-president Datuk Baljit Singh has expressed concern that Penangites may be unaware of the amount of land belonging to them that has been disposed.
  3. Now that the Chief Minister has openly told the Penang State Legislative Assembly that the government plans to sell its land bank by tender as one of the ways to increase state revenue, he is duty-bound to come out clean on other concerns as well.
  4. Since 2008, we have been plagued with increased water rates,increased assessment rates, quit rent hike, needing to pay more in parking summonses and of late, a proposed 500% hike on plastic bags!
  5. How can the state claim it is experiencing a deficit budget?
  6. Perhaps in the name of being competent, accountable and transparent, the state should open its accounts to public scrutiny.
  7. What is Penang’s total undeveloped landbank at the moment? Irrespective of whether it is residential, commercial, industrial or agricultural land, where are these plots located and what is the acreage?
  8. The Chief Minister should also reveal if the state has plans to sell off the reclaimed land off Gurney Drive and how much of land will be sold off and how would the sold land be utilised.
  9. It is irrelevant that the state plans to sells its land via open tender or otherwise. What is more critical now is to establish whether the DAP-led state government has or had not begun selling off state-owned assets like land, since 2008.
  10. It is pointless in harping about Penang being a land-locked state and the state is constantly finding it a challenge to provide housing for the needy, it it is actually sitting on good pieces of land that should and can be allocated for social housing.
  11. The prolonged CoVid19 global pandemic is a good time for Penang to review its priorities to its people, by seeing to their basic needs, including the provision of affordable housing.
  12. The state must put a stop to selling off its valuable landbank at this time to parties who are intent on building more pricey housing options which none of us need.
  13. Deficit budget or not, please do not pawn our precious state-owned land parcels in the name of boosting the state’s coffers.
  14. ‘Selling’ our sea via land reclamation and carving out and cutting into our our hills are bad enough. But selling off Penang land which is a legacy of its residents to future generations is simply NOT acceptable.