OPPOSITION MPs have accused City Hall of operating like a “secret society” that changes the status of land as it pleases without having to account for its decisions. 

They said with the Kuala Lumpur Structure 2020 plan not gazetted and due to be replaced, the authorities were free to change the status of land, which led to the development of projects like the 44-storey condominium in Taman Desa.

The land for the project was originally designated for “library and public park” use but its status changed when ownership was transferred from City Hall to a private developer.

Cheras MP Tan Kok Wai said 45 titles to land in KL had been “sold secretly at prices far below market price” and he had submitted the information, some of which he had obtained via parliamentary replies, to the mayor for investigation.

“The mayor said that he will investigate,” said Kok Wai, who spoke to KL Mayor Mhd Amin Nordin Abdul Aziz in a meeting today.

Kok Wai said City Hall’s decision to scrap and replace the KL Structure Plan 2020 meant that tens of millions of ringgit would go to waste.

“More than RM30 million has been spent on the studying and drafting of the KL Structure Plan over the years; hundreds of hearings have been held, causing so much trouble to everybody.

“So much waste at the expense of the taxpayers… and now City Hall wants to wash its hands by saying that it has not gazetted the plan and is  cancelling it.”

And as long as the plan was in limbo, he said, City Hall and the Federal Territories Ministry could change the statuses of land to suit themselves.

“The (Federal Territories) minister Tengku Adnan and City Hall have abused their power by changing the land use from time to time to suit their ultimate aims.

“As land titles can be changed so easily, then what’s the point (of having land titles)?

Wangsa Maju MP Tan Kee Kong said City Hall’s secretive way of doing things were also causing problems to the MPs.

“We, as the people’s representatives, don’t even know what projects City Hall has approved or is going to approve.

“In the end, the blame falls on us, which is improper and unfair.”

Kee Kong said he had suggested to the mayor that City Hall’s territorial managers meet with the MPs once a month.

“This is so that all the problems like potholes, clogged drains can be addressed.

“Many of the City Hall managers are not doing their jobs and playing politics,” he said. – December 12, 2017.