The Penang State EXCO at is meeting on 7.9.2012 has decided a Special EXCO Committee on Cheap Land Sales of at least 4,000 acres of State Land by the previous state government. Penang State EXCO member for Local Government and Traffic Management will head this special EXCO committee and all government departments especially Land Office, the two local governments and Penang Development Corporation are directed to give full co-operation to Chow.
Cheap land sales or even land given for free by BN government came into focus when BN highlighted the PR state government’s sale by open competitive tender of the 1.1 acre piece of land in Taman Manggis for a private hospital project to promote medical tourism in Penang. Not just BN but Gerakan has lost all honour and credibility when BN Penang Chairman Teng Chang Yeow can not prove his claims that four of my EXCO members, my political secretary and myself had personal interest in the hospital project. And why did BN never announced to the press until now that the 1.1 acre piece was reserved for public housing in 2003 nor build from 2003-8, especially when the so-called public housing project was also not marked in the layout plans?
BN has clearly run out of political capital when it resorted to not only attacking members of my family but also my landlady. As the Taman Manggis land is by open tender, anyone can bid. Even my landlady or BN cronies can also bid and will be awarded if they pay the highest price. Why drag my landlady when she or her company did not even bid for the 1.1 acre piece of land?
For Koh Tsu Koon or Teng to say that he does not have government documents is dishonest when BN can produce alleged documents of Taman Manggis in 1993. Chow Kon Yeow would look into the more than 4,000 acres of state land or identify even more land that were sold cheaply or without open competitive tender such as:-
a) In the Tanjong Tokong Reclamation, under Agreements dated 1990 & 1999, the developer was given the right to reclaim and develop 980 acres of land off Tanjong Tokong at the price of RM 1 per square foot!
b) 750 acres of land in Batu Kawan was sold in 2004 at between RM3.05 to RM 4 per square feet.
c) As for the Jelutong Expressway, under Agreements dated 1997, 2002 & 2003, the developer was given the right to reclaim 325 acres of land in exchange for constructing the Jelutong Expressway at an estimated cost of RM300 million and cash payment of RM25.4 million. In other words, the total cost is RM325.4 million for 325 acres or the cost of reclaimed land at Jelutong Expressway is RM 1 million per acre or over RM 20 per square feet. What’s more the developer can pay RM 25.4 million over 10 years from 2005 up to 2015 – surely a record for length of payment period.
d) 80 acres of prime land in Pulau Jerejak was sold to Urban Development Authority(UDA) without open tender on 15 January 2001 for a lease period of 60 years at only RM 3.72 per square feet.
e) 1,600 acres of reclaimed land off Butterworth was given to Rayston free. Rayston only had to pay RM50 million reclamation cost and build a highway which they are paying through toll collections.
f) 18.7 acres land in Midlands Court and over 4 acres in Prangin Mall was sold by tender but not to the highest bidder. Instead for both sites, the 2nd highest bidder was selected.
g) 500 acres of reclaimed land awarded without open tender for the Penang Outer Ring Road(PORR) project
Finally if BN is sincere about building low-cost housing, why is it that BN did not fulfill its promise and plans to build two 17-storey block of low-cost flats on the present 1st Avenue and Traders Hotel sites? Selling state land cheaply caused financial losses to the people of Penang and were amongst the many reasons Gerakan lost all its seats and BN was rejected in the 2008 general elections.
—-Mandarin Version —–
槟州首席部长林冠英于2012年9月9日在光大乔治市发表声明：
曹观友将率领一支特别行政议员委员会，调查前朝国阵政府廉价出售4000英亩的州政府土地。
槟州行政议员于2012年9月7日的行政议会上决定，成立一支特别行政议员委员会，以调查前国阵政府廉价出售4000英亩的州政府土地。这个委员
会以槟州地方政府及交通管理委员会主席为首，所有政府部门特别是土地局、两个地方政府及槟州发展机构受指示，全面配合曹观友。
国阵政府廉价售地、甚至免费赠地最近成为焦点，他们突出了民联州政府通过公开招标，出售山竹园1.1英亩地段来发展槟州的医疗旅游。当国阵主席邓章耀无法证明槟州四名行政议员、我的政治秘书以及我本身，在有关私人医院计划涉及私人利益，不只是国阵，就连民政党已经名誉扫地。为何国阵没有在2003 年公布上述1.1英亩地段已经保留为组屋兴建计划？为何国阵在2003年至2008年没有启动工程完成计划，也没有记录在槟岛市政局的发展蓝图内？
国阵明显已耗尽政治资本，所以不只攻击我家人，也包括我的女屋主。我的女屋主或她的公司根本没有参与上述1.1英亩地段的竞标，为什么要把她拖下水？
国阵既然可以拿出1993年山竹园的文件，那么许子根或邓章耀说他们没有政府文件，这是不诚实的。曹观友会调查上述廉价出售或未经公开招价售出的4000英亩甚至更多的州政府土地，例如：
a) 丹绒道光填海地在1990及1999年的合约中，前朝政府让发展商以每平方尺1令吉的价格，在丹绒道光进行填海发展980英亩的土地。
b) 在2004年，峇都加湾750英亩以每平方尺3.05至4令吉的价格出售。
c) 日落洞高速公路在1997年、2002年及2003年的合同中，前朝政府让发展商以2540万令吉及一条价值3亿令吉的日落洞高速公路，进行填海发展325.4英亩的土地。换句话说，日落洞高速公路的325英亩地段总值3亿2540万令吉，或 1英亩100万令吉，或每平方尺20令吉。更何况，发展商可以用10年（2005年至2015年）偿还2540万令吉，这么长的偿还期，肯定破了偿还期限记录。
d) 木蔻山80英亩的土地于2001年1月15日在没有公开招标的情况下以每平方尺3令吉72仙，出售给城市区发展机构（UDA），租凭期为60年。
e) 免费赠送Rayston Consortium（北海）有限公司1600英亩的北海填海范围。Rayston 只需要缴付5千万令吉的填海费，以及承建一条大道的费用而已，而这些费用，也可以靠收过路费赚回的。
f) 为什么在Midlands Counrt 及柏兰宜广场地段的18.7英亩经过招标却不是最高价者得。而是把土地出售给第二高价的竞标者。
g) 在没有公开招标的情况下，将500英亩填海地合约颁给槟州外环公路计划。
最后，如果国阵有诚意兴建廉价屋，为什么国阵没有履行诺言和计划，在之前的1st Avenue 及Traders Hotel 的原址兴建两座17层楼的廉价组屋？这让槟州人民造成巨大的损失，这也是为什么民政党失去所有议席及国阵在2008年全国大选被选民拒绝的原因。
林冠英