Over 500 supporters of the Poverty Eradication Foundation (YBK) staged a noisy demonstration today to protest Selangor’s rejection of a Yayasan Melaka offer to pay the RM5.439 million in quit rent arrears on behalf of the foundation.
Among those bussed in to the State Secretariat building here for the protest were members of Selangor Perkasa, led by its national president, Datuk Ibrahim Ali; and Selangor Umno, led by state information chief, Abdul Shukur Idrus.
The crowd, which started to gather at about 2.30pm, dispersed within 30 minutes after a memorandum was handed over to Sri Setia assemblyman, Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad, who is also the political secretary of the Selangor mentri besar.Tan Sri Khalid Ibrahim had announced on Feb 3 that the offer by Yayasan Melaka had been rejected because Section 98 of the National Land Code clearly states that quit rent can only be paid for by the owners of the land themselves.
The protesters today claimed the Selangor MB had abused his powers and intended to seize land allocated to YBK, which was reportedly the site for a new UITM campus.
Ibrahim Ali and Perkasa were at the protest to lend support. — file pic
During the protest, the group also carried placards warning non-Malays against challenging Malay rights.
“I am very proud of those gathered here, who volunteered to defend their rights,” said Ibrahim, who is also MP for Pasir Mas.
YBK was established in the 1990s as a non-government organisation with funding from the state. The previous administration had also transferred 33 lots of land totalling 876 hectares to the foundation in 1994.
The foundation hit trouble when it failed to issue audited reports on its financial accounts and administration for the past five years, as well as reports on how money allocated for poverty eradication was spent.
It also defaulted on its quit rent for the last 13 years, until August 2009, when the foundation made a partial payment.
news courtesy of Malaysian Insider
1 comment:
One would have thought that after being advised that Section 98 of the NLC is relevant, these protestors would cease and desist .... but somehow, they believe that the law can be made subservient to their wishes.
(In my best Austin Powers imitation ..."Oh, behave !")
Post a Comment