PETALING JAYA: Stepping into a row about whether Umno has cheated the Malay people, Penang DAP’s Syerleena Abdul Rashid backed her party comrade Dyana Sofya Mohd Daud by citing several land deals as examples.
Speaking to FMT, Syerleena cited several deals involving Malay reserve land being sold, including one in Penang in 2012 involving two Umno politicians, and another involving tycoon Vincent Tan.
She said that 31 Malay land owners in Kampung Terang, Penang, sold their land in 2012 to Masion Heights Sdn Bhd for approximately RM8.56 million.
“The company later sold the land to Kay Pride Sdn Bhd for RM13.45 million making RM5 million profit in five months.” She said the two directors of the company were Penang Umno vice chairman Musa Sheikh Fadzir and Barisan Nasional elections chairman Omar Faudzar.
Another example she cited was the eviction of 80 families from Pantai Chenang, Langkawi, in 1990. “Their homes were on Malay reserve land which was sold off for Pelangi beach resort. Similarly in Pulau Redang (Terengganu) 300 acres of Malay reserve land were sold and awarded to Vincent Tan for tourism development,” she said.
(Two resorts on Pulau Redang are owned by the Berjaya group of companies, which is controlled by billionaire businessman Vincent Tan.)
Syerleena’s remarks came in response to a challenge from Raja Sara Petra, daughter of blogger Raja Petra Kamarudin, for DAP’s Dyana Sofya Mohd Daud to explain in what way Umno has cheated the Malays.
Dyana had alleged that Malays in fact want to be free of a political party (Umno) that claims to represent them but in fact cheats them.
Syerleena also gave other example of how the Malay people had been cheated by Umno.
She claimed that there had been a misuse of Islamic funds by Tabung Haji when the pilgrims fund acquired land for RM188.5 million in a deal that has been linked to the 1MDB scandal.
A former Umno assemblyman Mohammad Lan Allani, chairman of investment for Mara, an agency to assist the development of Malays in Malaysia, was implicated in an Australian land deal in which Mara was alleged to have overpaid for property in Melbourne.
Syerleena said Raja Sara Petra should also check her father’s blog for more evidence because, in the past, he had been very vocal about Umno’s wrongdoings.