Did Najib swap KTM land to settle RM363b debt?
(Free Malaysia Today) – Petaling Jaya Utara MP Tony Pua is wondering if the Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak’s swap of six land parcels in Tanjung Pagar for two commercial lots in Singapore is related to the RM363 billion national deficit.
Expressing his concern, he said Najib may have been forced into making this decision in view of the swelling deficit.
Pua said he would not be surprised if the agreement was aimed at settling the national debts.
“For the moment, what we know is that Najib will receive funds from the development of land in Singapore. The land in Singapore is very valuable.
“I believe one of the reasons Najib went ahead with the agreement despite changes in land policies is that the Malaysian government anticipates lucrative returns from the development on KTM land,” he said.
Pua was referring to Monday’s report which stated that Keretapi Tanah Melayu Bhd’s (KTMB) railway land in Tanjung Pagar would be swapped for land parcels in two of Singapore’s most expensive districts, including the site of the multibillion-dollar Marina Bay Sands casino complex which opened in April.
Najib, in a meeting with Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong in the island republic, had agreed to shift the KTMB complex to Woodlands, an industrial zone located just across a narrow strait from Johor by July 1, 2011.
Malaysia will also place its customs, immigration and quarantine complex at the industrial zone.
