Government has no right to subject Kg Baru land to compulsory acquisition, says Ismail Sabri

KUALA LUMPUR (Oct 30): Compulsory acquisition cannot be applied to Kampung Baru land, said Opposition Leader Ismail Sabri Yaakob, based on the Land Acquisition Act.

If the Kampung Baru landowners do not accept the government's offer of RM1,000 psf, then the government has no right to impose it upon them, he was reported saying in Free Malaysia Today yesterday.

Ismail's comment came about from a statement made by Federal Territories Minister Khalid Abdul Samad, who said “the government may carry out compulsory acquisition of the land under the Land Acquisition Act if the landowners refuse to accept what was described as 'the final and best offer'”.

“I don’t understand how he (Khalid) could say he would make a compulsory acquisition if the landowners disagree.

“Section 3(1)(a) of the Land Acquisition Act clearly states that the government can only take back a territory for public purposes, for example, a hospital,” Ismail said at the Parliament lobby yesterday.

This is opposed to the commercial purposes intended by the government for the land, “which the Act does not permit”.

He added compulsory acquisition “would be an act of cruelty against the landowners” because they are the ones to decide on how the land should be developed.

“If you give them RM1,000 per sq ft and they don’t accept it, it is within their rights as it is their ancestral land.”