Any proposal to lease or dispose of government land, particularly sites with potential public use, should undergo a comprehensive stakeholder engagement process.
Seputeh MP Teresa Kok said this was especially necessary after it was disclosed that Education Ministry had not supported a temporary lease for part of the former SK Danau Perdana site in Taman Danau Desa, Kuala Lumpur.
The application for a temporary lease was approved nonetheless.
In a statement, Kok asked: “If the Education Ministry did not support the proposal, why did the Department of the Director-General of Lands and Mines (JKPTG) approve the lease to a car dealership?”
She said proposals involving government land should involve consultations with the MP, residents’ representatives, the local authority, relevant ministry and government agencies before any decision was made.
The three-year lease of a 0.4ha plot within the 1.5ha school grounds was cancelled after the prospective tenant was found to have breached lease conditions.
On July 14, StarMetro reported that JKPTG confirmed the lease cancellation following the Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL) One-Stop Centre (OSC) committee’s rejection of the tenant’s application to build seven pickleball courts and a gym at the site.
Kok was commenting on the issue following a written parliamentary reply by Education Ministry on July 16, revealing that it had not supported a proposal to lease part of the former school site.
The ministry clarified that it neither owned nor controlled Lot 54836, as the federal land was administered by JKPTG through the Federal Lands Commissioner.
The ministry said JKPTG sought its comments on Oct 10, 2025, regarding a proposal to temporarily lease part of the school site to a used-car dealer.
“The ministry’s role in any application relating to this site is limited to providing technical comments from an educational needs perspective,” it said.
The ministry said it did not support the proposal because matters relating to the construction project for SK Danau Perdana had not been resolved.
The final decision on the lease, it said, rested with JKPTG.
The ministry added that it would monitor developments to ensure educational interests were taken into account in future decisions concerning the site.
Kok said the approval suggested the ministry’s views and public interest had been overlooked.
She urged the Chief Secretary to the Government, as the Federal Land Executive Committee chairman, to issue directives promoting greater transparency and accountability in decisions involving federal land.
Government land, she said, was a national asset that should be managed prudently.
“Public interest should take precedence in decisions involving land with potential community use,” added Kok.
