Call on Liong Sik to explain whether MCA Ministers have got the cabinet to agree to freeze all land acquisitions for 2,234 acres in Mambau, Rasah and Labu in Negeri Sembilan for the Seremban II project until the 600 affected landowners get fair market-price compensation or can participate in the development of the new township.

Press Statement (2) by Parliamentary Opposition Leader, DAP Secretary-General and MP for Tanjong, Lim Kit Siang on Thursday, November 24, 1994 in Petaling Jaya

I call on the MCA president and minister of transport Datuk Dr. Ling Liong Sik to explain whether MCA Ministers have got the cabinet to agree to freeze all land acquisitions for 2,234 acres in Mambau, Rasah and Labu in Negeri Sembilan for the Seremban II project until the 600 affected landowners get fair market-price compensation or can participate in the development of the new township.

This is because the MCA deputy minister in the Prime Minister’s department Datuk Wong See Wah said five hours after the demonstration by 400 affected landowners of the Seremban II project outside the negeri Sembilan menteri besar’s office yesterday that MCA ministers had raised the issue in the cabinet yesterday and that the government had agreed to adopt ‘positive steps to resolve the controversy’.

If not for the demonstration by the 400 affected landowners yesterday, the MCA leadership would have ‘washed its hand’ off the issue.

In fact, the affected landowners sought the help of the MCA first and their representatives met Wong See Wah himself four times but the MCA deputy minister was completelu unhelpful and even took the side of the negeri Sembilan state government by telling the affected landowners that their only recouse was to go to court if they do not agree to the quantum of the compensation.

The DAP only came into the picture after the affected landowners discovered that MCA leaders were only ‘in government but not in power’.

I commend the 400 affected landowners whose demonstration yesterday seemed to have caused a major change in MCA attitude of the issue.

However, nobody knows whether this is only for ublicity or for true.

This is why the MCA president Datuk Seri Dr. ling Liong Sik should be frank with the affected landowners of the Seremban II project and explain: –

* whether MCA ministers have got cabinet agreement that the entire land acquisition process of the 2,234 acres for Seremban Ii project has been frozen;

* whether the Negeri Sembilan state government will give an undertaking that it would not allow its agents to enter the land of the affected landowners and that the original title-holders would continue to enjoy all residential and property rights on their land;

* whether the MCA would support the DAP proposal for the establishment of a parliamentary committee headed by former deputy Prime Minister Ghafar Baba as the Seremban II project is a clear case of violation of the promise given by Ghafar Baba in parliament in 1991 when he was deputy prime minister that there will be no abuses of power in land acquisition cases.