Al Jafree Md Yusop, Malaysian Digest
The Selangor government’s continuous attempt to mislead the public has left it trapped in its own web of deceit.
This is the claim made by MCA Young Professionals Bureau chairman Datuk Chua Tee Yong, who alleged that contradicting statements by the state’s DAP assemblymen has unravelled the lies surrounding the Selangor’s controversial debt recovery exercise with developer Talam Corporation.
In a Press conference today, Chua said the state government had previously stressed that before 2008, Selangor’s Barisan Nasional administration had never made any effort to collect debts from Talam.
He quoted Petaling Jaya Utara MP Tony Pua, who had repeatedly claimed that not only did BN not attempt to collect any debts, the debts were also hidden.
However, Chua said this contradicted with a recent statement by DAP’s Seputeh MP Teresa Kok, who had defended Selangor’s actions by saying that the state government were obliged to abide with the agreement made with the previous Selangor administration.
Kok had previously supported her argument by disclosing the first debt settlement agreement dated July 29, 2005; and supplemental agreement dated March 8, 2007.
Chua, who is also deputy agriculture minister, said Kok’s unveiling of the agreements was mere proof that the state government was “confused.”
“By doing so, Kok had unwittingly disclosed evidence that the state government is misleading and lying to the people,” said Chua, who is also Labis MP.
He also cited the Selangor state assembly Hansard of 2010 and 2011, in which he claimed there is no disclosure of any previous agreement with the BN government relating to the selection and valuation of assets which are still binding on the current administration.
Chua said when the Pakatan Rakyat-governed Selangor administration entered into a new agreement with Talam, they weren’t bound by the previous agreement dated March 8, 2007 which included land and properties as well as its evaluation.
"The fact that a new agreement was signed between Talam and the state government on March 12, 2010 and that Talam is required to seek shareholders’ approval for the agreement, indicates that the previous agreement has expired.
"We welcome Kok to make the agreement dated July 29, 2005; March 12, 2006; and March 8, 2007 publicly available to prove that these agreements are valid when the PR Government signed the new agreement with Talam in 2010," he said.
He ridiculed Kok’s claim that the Selangor government is bound by the agreement signed by BN, and labelled it “misleading and twisting the facts.’
"I know DAP will rebut by spinning, diverting, resorting to personal attacks or even disclosing partial information. However, I advise them to check their statements, so that they are not caught conflicting each other," he said.
Chua has, since early this month, launched an attack of Selangor’s Pakatan government, claiming that there were discrepancies in the debt-collection exercise between the Selangor government and Talam Corporation.
He had claimed that Selangor had used RM1 billion in public funds to bail out Talam. He later revealed details within the deal, which include how the state government had purchased 2,263 acres of land in Bestari Jaya from Talam at RM181 million, which was allegedly RM42 million above market price.
He also drew attention to another state government purchase, this time in Danau Putra amounting to RM87.7 million. Chua had claimed that 80 per cent of the purchased land was submerged underwater.
