After listening to Hindraf leader P Uthayakumar's during his July 5th visit to Kg Buah Pala, I believe his demands are reasonable. Here are pertinent points to consider:
1. Lim Guan Eng and Lim Kit Siang blew it. Both have not even visited Kg Buah Pala past 15 months. They cannot claim to be truly knowledgeable about the Indian problems.
2. There has been so much mud-slinging and conflicting details on the alleged illegal transfer of land to Koperasi Pegawai Kerajaan Pulau Pinang by the previous BN government.
That the cooperative got Nusmetro (P) Ventures Sdn Bhd to build a multi-million luxury condominium on this ancient Indian land makes the whole situation explosive.
3. Why isn't the present Penang state government giving a transparent statement of facts on the whole situation. Who are the perpetrators of this land scam? And, if proven, surely there is a legal and moral obligation for this government to step in and revert the land title to its original status quo.
4.Was the Brown Housing Trust properly and legally constituted in the first place, and the land titles given to the respective Indian villagers then, and if so, how did this dissolution came about, who did it, when and why, etc? If there are illegalities, Lim's government should charge the perpetrators for fraud, gross dereliction of public duties, and shirking their fiduciary responsibilities.
For the moment, in view the impending final eviction deadline for the villager, the state government should stop the developer from carrying out a threat to demolish the homes of these villagers, whilst finalising the legal procedures to revert the land back to them, notwithstanding the court order, if illegalities were established.
5. The fact that PAS and PKR senior representatives were there with Uthayakumar on July 5, and no DAP personnel were there at all - let alone the two Lims - adds further credence that they appear to adopting a lackadaisical attitude in the eyes all Malaysians not only in Penang.
6. Appearing with Uthayakumar would have given the two Lims' the best chance to make up for their long absence, cool rising tensions, work out the Indian/Hindraf distrust of DAP, and restore to some extent, the DAP's jaded image.
The Lims have one final chance to make up. They can salvage some measure of pride and the fate of the DAP-led state government if they make a full disclosure on the land issue.
