Published: Wednesday September 30, 2009 MYT 1:25:00 PM
Selangor tightens the screws at land offices
By EDWARD RAJENDRA
SHAH ALAM: The Selangor state government has begun to tighten the screws at land offices in nine districts, warning people who have depended on political patronage or runners that a new era has begun.
Mentri Besar Tan Sri Khalid Ibrahim said the state has directed all district offices to keep a tight rein on the movement of files and is improving the computerisation methods to ensure that irregularities initiated through runners are curbed.
“Developers and even politicians in the past used runners and those who are close to land evaluators to inform them of land that was available due to some default.
“Now, with our new methods being enforced we will purge these culprits out of the organisation,” he said.
He added that the move would not “wipe out such irresponsible characters” but would make it difficult for them to secure favours or even get land officers to find them vacant land for a fee.
“Now, with our first-in, first-out method to be introduced, we would be able to ensure that no one short-circuits the process to obtain special preferences.
“This would also curb corruption, and the land office would not come under fire over unwanted allegations,” he said.
Earlier, Khalid, who attended the Land Management Seminar at the Annex Building here, said that even if a Pakatan Rakyat government assemblyman wants to push through a file, it will not happen unless the situation warrants it due to “disaster or something that cannot be avoided.”
The seminar was held to inform its participants -- architects, developers, town planners, construction lawyers and even draughtsman -- of the dos and don’ts in dealing with land, he said.
Khalid said the seminar told these professionals “to stop monkeying around with the system, be ethical” and follow their professional codes of conduct.
“I don’t want developers to lose money but I don’t want problems given to the state,” he said.
“We are also looking at the idea of splitting the land office, where one parts acts as a land administrator while the other oversees the district -- similar to what is practised in Johor,” he said.
Meanwhile, Khalid said that temporary occupational licence holders who have occupied state land for more than 20 years would be given the opportunity to have rightful ownership.
“We will alienate the land to the residents and they would have to only pay the land premium for a leasehold title,” he said.
This move will come after district officers conduct a census on these lands “soon,” he added, without giving a timeframe on when the census would be completed.
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