Kuching: The Sarawak Government must explain its decision to alienate more than 23 acres of prime land for the Kota Sentosa Police Station at RM8.46 million, including the original land valuation, construction costs and final land allocation between the Government and developer, said Michael Kong Feng Nian.
Kong, Special Assistant to Stampin MP Chong Chieng Jen, said the attempt by SUPP’s Wilfred Yap to justify the land alienation had missed the fundamental issue: why the Sarawak Government proceeded to register the land in favour of the developer in July 2022 instead of reconsidering or revoking the arrangement in the public interest.
He pointed out that if the title had not yet been registered, the State Government still had an opportunity to reconsider whether the arrangement genuinely served the public interest.
“So why did it proceed? And we are talking about RM8.46 million for more than 23 acres of prime land! That works out to less than RM400,000 per acre!” he said.
Kong said anyone familiar with the property market in the vicinity would know that comparable land could command substantially higher values.
“Based on prevailing market values, the land could reportedly be worth many times the amount paid,” he said.
He questioned the justification for transferring valuable public land at such a price, stressing that the issue involved the Government’s decision to proceed with the alienation, its failure to reconsider the arrangement and the price at which the land was transferred.
He further insisted that the Government explain why it proceeded with the alienation, while calling on Wilfred Yap and SUPP to answer for their refusal to hold it accountable.
Kong urged Wilfred Yap to stop acting as the developer’s spokesperson and start asking questions on behalf of the people.
