AFTER being accused of helping a private developer obtain an approval letter for a project in 2019, former federal territories minister Khalid Samad is now clarifying the matter. 

Khalid said that he penned his signature on the application letter, suggesting the project be approved as it was in line with the vision of the ministry at that point of time, which was to build one million affordable homes in Kuala Lumpur. 

“I suggested that this application be approved because it was in line with the vision of the Ministry of Federal Territories at that time, which was to build one million affordable homes in Kuala Lumpur.

“This was because affordable housing was needed by the low- and middle-income groups in Kuala Lumpur as the price of ordinary houses is expensive and this group that works in Kuala Lumpur could not afford it,” he said in a statement today responding to a report in a news portal. 

News outlet MalaysiaNow published an article last week saying that the Shah Alam MP had provided a letter of endorsement despite Pakatan Harapan’s (PH) policy against it.

Today, the portal revealed the letter, in which it claimed that Khalid had personally backed the developer’s bid for the project. 

The portal alleged that the company had sought Khalid’s help after its application to the Federal Territories Lands and Mines Office, which was initially approved, was revoked.

It said that the company had written to Khalid about six months after PH came into power.

The Amanah lawmaker went on to explain that although he was the FT minister then, the approval was not under his jurisdiction but the Chief Secretary to the Government. 

“After receiving the first letter from the applicant, I instructed my political secretary, Azli Yusof, to refer this matter to the Land and Mines Office and also the Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL) to find out plans for use of the land, if any.

“Almost a year later, after I received the second letter, only then I applied to the Federal Territory Land Exco, chaired by the Chief Secretary to the Government,  to ‘consider’ the approval of this application after getting a clear picture of the status of this land from the land office and DBKL. 

“I, myself, am not in the Kuala Lumpur Land Exco and this exco is not under my authority. It is therefore appropriate for me to provide views on this development proposal in writing.

“The exco who will consider this application is also not under my jurisdiction as the FT minister as it is directly under the Chief Secretary to the Government.  And it is not possible for a minister to direct the chief secretary, who reports to the prime minister,” he said. 

Khalid said none of his notes on the letter had carried the meaning or forced anyone to approve the project, but was merely to consider the proposal.

“The more appropriate word to be used would have been ‘please consider’ or ‘hope you look into this matter’ but the sentence ‘hope to be approved because…’ is also not an instruction. It’s different from ‘please approve’.

“However, I emphasise here, my request for this land to be approved was for the purpose of fulfilling the vision of getting one million affordable homes in Kuala Lumpur. Without land, where will these houses be built? 

“Therefore, the regular application has to go through the usual process, including the conditions to be imposed as well as the price to be paid for it. I only support this application for the sake of the project I want to implement,” he said. – September 27, 2021.