Building plans of MP’s office rejected: Yeo

Daily Express 4th January 2008 (Friday)

KOTA KINABALU:

Sandakan Municipal Council (MPS) President Yeo Boon Hai Thursday said the Council had rejected the building plans of a premise here housing the office of Kinabatangan Member of Parliament Datuk Bung Mokhtar Radin.

However, he said the MP’s official had made an appeal based on security reason, abandoned area, cleanliness of the staircase, mugging cases and damaged light bulbs.

“MPS will submit the appeal to the Building Plan Sub Committee for consideration,” Yeo said in a letter to Daily Express dated Jan 3, 2007.

He was responding to a report by DAP Sandakan Coordinator Anthony Teo published on Dec 29, last year questioning the construction of a special staircase leading to the MP’s office. Teo had said that it seemed that MPS was practising double standard in dealing with matters that came up for its consideration. The MPS President said the Council welcomes queries from any party and would render its co-operation in every way possible with view to clarify any confusion.

Yeo further clarified another statement by Teo published on Dec 25, 2007 pertaining to a complaint by an owner of a terrace house built on MPS land TL077552035 in North Road, here.

Teo was quoted as saying that house owner was not happy as the house he bought in 2000 now sits on a land that did not belong to MPS as shown in the Sales and Purchase Agreement. The terrace house is in Taman Indah Jaya.

Yeo said MPS was entrusted by the Government in 1980 with the responsibility of overseeing and monitoring the development of Taman Indah, which comprises, among others, Taman Indah Jaya, a race course and sports complex. He said the Taman Indah Jaya housing project was a joint-venture development between Wah Mie Reality Sdn Bhd and MPS, implemented through an agreement signed on Sept 21, 1992. It consists of TL077552035 (63.5 acres) and PT9707064 (235.2 acres). He said on Nov 14, 2000, the Sixth Supplementary Agreement was signed between MPS and Wah Mie Reality for the development of the Phase 9 of housing project, which is sited on part of the Taman Indah land.

Yeo further clarified that on March 22, 2007, MPS officials had a special meeting with the Natural Resources Department secretary together with officers from the Land and Survey Department as well as Town Planning Department to discuss MPS land application (LA9707062). “MPS was required to submit a detail report to Pejabat Hasil Bumi for them to consider the issuance of title. We have submitted the report,” he said.

Yeo said local elected representatives Datuk Samsudin Yahya, Au Kam Wah and Chong Hon Mm had also enquired about the same matter. Chong had even raised the matter in Parliament during its recent sitting. He also disclosed that the Land and Survey Department had issued the offer letter for the sub-division of the 171.7 acres to MPS which the Council received on Jan 2, 2008. The remaining 63 acres will be issued with land titles soon.

“This land application PT97070642 is meant for residents and we do not understand why the DAP Sandakan Co-ordinator wanted the application cancelled,” Yeo said.