NGOs seek Dr M's intervention over Perak govt's plan to issue 999-year land titles to new villages

PUTRAJAYA: A group of NGOs from Perak have sent a memorandum to the Prime Minister, seeking his intervention on what they claim is a plan by the state government to issue 999-year land titles.

Representatives from 10 NGOs, led by Gagasan Melayu Perak (GMP), said the Perak government needs to be stopped from carrying out the proposal, alleging the move is unconstitutional.

GMP president Datuk Razali Khalid said the movement had taken the state government to court in 2008 for awarding freehold land titles to new villages.

"We hope the Prime Minister will look into the matter and stop the state government from issuing the land titles.

"We hope we don't have to take the matter to court but if need be, we will," he said after presenting the memorandum to political secretary to the Prime Minister, Datuk Abu Bakar Yahya on Wednesday (Feb 5).

Razali said the NGOs have decided to turn to Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad for help after they claimed to have found out that a proposal paper on this was brought to the state exco for consideration.

"We have no other motive in objecting this aside from the fact that the move is unconstitutional. It violates many legal provisions and the Federal Constitution.

"We only want to ensure that the state government administers the state according to the law and the Federal Constitution," he said.

Meanwhile, Abu Bakar confirmed that he had received the memorandum from the group.

"I have listened to their case and I will hand over their memorandum to Dr Mahathir for his further action," he said.

Recent news reports quoted Perak Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Ahmad Faizal Azumu urging all parties to stop discussing and politicising the issue of granting 999-year land titles to new villages in the state, saying that the matter should be brought to the attention of the Prime Minister and the National Land Council.

His call came following a statement by state Education, Technology, Science and Environment Committee chairman Dr Abdul Aziz Bari who said the Perak government was expected to be able to issue freehold land titles soon as promised in the Perak Pakatan Harapan manifesto in the last general election.