The change in the status of the land was revealed late last year in a written reply to PKR Youth information chief Lee Chean Chung in the Pahang state assembly.
Lee said what was “shocking” was that no land was provided as replacement when the piece of land sold to Hasan lost its Malay reserve status.
“Article 89 of the federal constitution states that any land which ceases to be Malay reserve land must be replaced with another piece of land similar to it,” he said at a press conference at the PKR headquarters here today.
“Therefore, the decision made by the Pahang state government is in direct violation of the federal constitution.”
In June last year, reports revealed that Lee had filed a complaint with the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) over a 13,000-square-metre piece of Malay reserve land in Medan Tok Sira, Pahang.
The complaint was filed following allegations that Hasan had bought the land for RM76,499 when he held office in the state government and later sold it for five times the original price.
Lee told reporters today that the Pahang government said they cancelled the land’s Malay reserve status because it had commercial potential.
However, Lee said that if this was indeed true, why then was the land sold to Hasan for such a low sum.
“Hasan bought the land for RM76,499 in 2002, while according to the notice of assessment, the land was valued at RM213,000.
“Hasan sold off the land two years later to an individual named Ti Lian Yeah at RM397,683, five times more than he had originally bought it for.
“The state government did not profit from the sale, only Hasan did.”
Lee wants the state government to make public the minutes of the Pahang state executive council meeting where the decision to sell the piece of land and to change its status was made.
“I also urge Pasdec Corporation Sdn Bhd to provide the rationale for cancelling the land’s Malay reserve status and then selling the piece of land to Hasan Arifin,” said Lee, referring to the state-linked company that is involved in property development and management.
Also present was PKR vice-president Nurul Izzah, who pointed out that when controversial land deals were exposed, there was no follow-up action by Prime Minister Najib Razak.
“How many exposés, how many dodgy, sordid, pathetic land deals have to be unearthed before we see clear cut reforms initiated by the prime minister?” she asked.