Govt plans to amend Land Acquisition Act to protect national assets, public interests - PM

KUALA LUMPUR: Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim said the government plans to amend the Land Acquisition Act 1960 (Act 486) to ensure that national assets and public interests are protected following the land acquisition issues concerning the Duta Enclave.

He said that the bill to amend the Act is being prepared by the Attorney-General's Chambers (AGC) before being finalised by the Cabinet and tabled in Parliament.

"The AGC is currently working to tighten the law, (because) public interests cannot be compromised.

"If we compromise on this matter, all land, especially Malay-owned land in urban areas, will be at risk," he said in reply to Datuk Seri Takiyuddin Hassan (PN-Kota Bharu) during the Minister's Question Time at Dewan Rakyat today.

Takiyuddin had wanted to know the government's solution to the Duta Enclave crisis in Mukim Batu after the High Court ruled that the 263.272 acres (106.54 hectares) of land on Jalan Duta, Kuala Lumpur, must be returned by the federal government to Semantan Estate Sdn Bhd, as this has serious implications for the country in various aspects.

On Oct 23, it was reported that the High Court ruled that the disputed land, known as the 'Duta Enclave', should be returned to Semantan Estate after declaring the government's 1956 acquisition of the land invalid.

In a 12-page judgment released on Oct 21, Justice Datuk Ahmad Shahrir Mohd Salleh said that due to a botched acquisition, the government was and is still in unlawful occupation of the land.

Duta Enclave, located in the prime Jalan Duta area, houses government buildings, including the National Hockey Stadium, the Malaysian Institute of Integrity, the National Archives, the Kuala Lumpur Syariah Court, the Inland Revenue Board building and the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission Academy.

Anwar said that, in addition to facilitating the resolution of the Duta Enclave issue, the amendment to Act 486 will also help address related problems in the future.

As such, he said the government will continue to pursue legal avenues while negotiating with Semantan Estate to find the best solution to the land dispute that had persisted since 1956.

"We are still appealing the court's decision regarding the transfer of ownership, so I leave it to the AGC to handle it," he said.

In reply to Takiyuddin's supplementary question on the previous government's plan to offer compensation of RM5 billion to Semantan Estate despite the estimated value of the land being RM3.1 billion, Anwar said such a decision would not resolve the problem; rather, it would open the door to other land issues.

"We must be firm. So far, not an inch of the Duta Enclave land is being developed for private or commercial purposes; everything is for government buildings," he said, stressing that this issue involves not only legal technicalities but also the principles of national development and public interest.

The Prime Minister said the Secretary-General of the Treasury has also held meetings with Semantan Estate in an effort to find the best resolution to the issue.

This includes allowing the company to develop part of the undeveloped land in the Duta Enclave, provided they collaborate with any government company, he added.

-- BERNAMA

Read the latest news here