Petaling Jaya Utara MP Tony Pua said Selangor MCA had paid RM1 per square foot (psf) for a piece of land worth RM400 psf.
This meant that Selangor MCA had paid RM50,000 for the land which was worth RM18 million.
Pua was speaking at a press conference held in front of the plot of reserve land in SS25 here. A signboard in front of the plot said it was private property.
Pua said Selangor MCA had applied to buy the land in September 2006, and that the application was approved by the state government in August 2007.
Selangor MCA then paid for the land on March 26, 2008, he said, just days after the Pakatan Rakyat coalition took over the state.
Pua said the land belonged to the Selangor state government prior to the purchase and was used as a water catchment area to prevent floods.
He said the sale of the land for RM50,000 was a clear-cut case of abuse of power.
“When Pakatan took over, the first principle was that no state assemblyperson can apply for land in the state,” he said.
According to him, Selangor MCA is now requesting permission from the Petaling Jaya City Council (MBPJ) to convert the land to a commercial area.
This was how Damansara Utama assemblywoman Yeo Bee Yin had found out about the sale of land, he said.
However, Pua said he had taken a firm stand against this, and that Selangor MCA should either return the land to the state or pay RM18 million to have the sale approved.
“Returning the land is the first choice. Otherwise, pay the market value,” he said.
“We don’t stop political parties from buying property, but they must pay for it.”
Yeo said early this year, she had discovered that MCA wanted to convert the land for commercial use, which piqued her curiosity as to how the party had managed to acquire the site in the first place.
She then checked with MBPJ and the land office for further information on the sale of land.
FMT is attempting to contact Selangor MCA for a response on the issue.