TANAH to hold protest at Plaza Angsana

Gabungan Selamatkan Tanah Rakyat Johor (TANAH), called a press conference in Plaza Angsana, here, yesterday, to respond to a press statement made by the chairperson of UDA Holdings Bhd, Nurjazlan Mohammad on April 9, in forbidding TANAH to hold a police approved peaceful gathering in the compound of Plaza Angsana which is owned by UDA Holdings Bhd.

Speaking on behalf of TANAH is its secretary, Suhaizan Kaiat, who told reporters that TANAH wish to inform the public that Plaza Angsana belongs to the people by virtue of the fact that the shopping mall is owned by UDA Holdings Bhd, which is government linked company.   The Government has  50 percent interest in UDA.

Furthermore, he said, Plaza Angsana is  a public area and no one should stop the public from gathering there peacefully.

The purpose of holding a peaceful public gathering in Plaza Angsana is not to cause any disturbances to the patrons and shopkeepers there but to gather and to express the many land related issues and problems faced by the people in the state, added Suhaizan.

Present at the press conference were Ustaz Abdullah Husin, PAS Johor ulama council chief and Zaba Ibrahim, vice chairperson of PAS Pulai division.

Suhaizan said that holding a peaceful public gathering there can in fact generate huge business volumes for the shopkeepers in the shopping mall.

Giving an example, he said, imagine if 20,000 people were to gather on that day and each of them spend a sum of RM50, the total liquid cash generated amounting to RM1 million will be circulating within the shopping mall without the mall management having to do any promotion at all.

He further stressed that, the peaceful public gathering will not be held inside the shopping mall but in the open area of the mall compound.

Suhaizan urged UDA Holdings Bhd chairperson, Nurjazlan Mohammad to be open minded in welcoming such peaceful gathering and cited the example of Pahang Mentri Besar, Adnan Yaakob, who had openly welcomed the huge influx of people to Kuantan for the Anti Lynas public demonstration recently.

Adnan was quoted as saying that the huge influx of people to Kuantan will help the local businesses enormously.

Hence, Suhaizan said, Nurjazlan Mohammed should not try and prevent TANAH from holding a peaceful public gathering in the compound of Plaza Angsana.

Gabungan Selamatkan Tanah Rakyat Johor (TANAH), is a coalition set up to look into the contentious land issues and problems faced by people of Johor and to bring the related issues up to the attention of state government.

TANAH will be holding a peaceful public gathering in the compound of Plaza Angsana on May 5, 2012 at 2pm.