Umno members, Kepong residents clash over land issue

Umno members, Kepong residents clash over land issue

Local residents question why Kepong Umno is occupying land owned by a developer and what it plans to do with RM4 million collected at a 2015 fund-raising event.

Free Malaysia Today
Kepong community centre leader Yee Poh Ping and Kepong Umno chief Rizuan Abd Hamid.
KUALA LUMPUR:
A press conference called by Kepong DAP and local residents to question the occupation of a plot of land by Umno ended abruptly today when a group of Umno members ordered them off the land.
Free Malaysia Today
Kepong community centre leader Yee Poh Ping.

The Umno members, led by Amiruddin Mohd Rais, accused the residents of Taman Sejahtera led by Kepong MP Lim Lip Eng and Kepong community service centre leader Yee Poh Ping of trespassing.

Amiruddin said DAP and the residents should have informed Umno in advance if they wanted to visit the land.

“It is not proper for all of you to just walk into our area in a large group,” he said.

Yee said the residents wanted to know whether Kepong Umno intended to build a dialysis centre on the land as planned.

Amiruddin responded that his party would fulfil its promise on the dialysis centre which would be housed in a proposed two-storey community hall.

“When it is completed, everyone can use it,” he added.

Yee claimed the land was owned by a developer and that Kepong Umno had collected RM4 million for the dialysis centre during a 2015 fund-raising event.

Kepong Umno chief Rizuan Abd Hamid, who arrived later, also ordered Yee and the others to leave the area, saying they were trespassing.

Free Malaysia Today
Kepong Umno chief Rizuan Abd Hamid says the residents should have informed the party before coming on the land.

“We have known each other for a long time. Just tell me if you want to come.

“It is rude that you walked in just like that,” he told Yee who merely nodded.

Rizuan told reporters that Kepong Umno was allowed by the late mayor Elyas Omar to occupy the land.

“However, the land belongs to a developer who has closed down. We have to solve this land problem before we can proceed to build the hall and dialysis centre,” he said.

Several people were heard shouting that Rizuan hit Yee during the confrontation.

However, Yee told reporters that Rizuan had not hit him, only slapped the documents in his hands.

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