Rafidah's allegation on MAF land intended to attack caretaker PM Najib: Hishammuddin

KUALA LUMPUR: Caretaker defence minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein said the allegation by former international trade and industry minister Tan Sri Rafidah Aziz on privatisation of land belonging to the Malaysian Armed Forces (MAF) was intended as an attack on caretaker prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Abdul Razak.
He said the allegation by Rafidah was baseless and without facts.
"The allegation is baseless and a plain lie. I hope the relevant parties will respond with facts rather than leaving it to (caretaker) prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Abdul Razak and me alone," he told a media conference after launching the One Member, One House (SASaR) programme at SATRIA Residency, Sungai Besi today.
Also present was caretaker natural resources and environment minister Datuk Seri Dr Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar.
Last Saturday, Rafidah through an open letter which was uploaded on her Facebook account, alleged that caretaker prime minister Najib Abdul Razak, who was defence minister in 2008, had recommended the privatisation of over 40,000ha of Defence Ministry / Armed Forces land to a company owned by three individuals, which was approved and implemented.
Meanwhile, Hishammuddin said 3,500 units of houses under the SASaR programme would be built in Sungai Besi to ensure more MAF personnel and veterans to own homes.
He said of the total, 1,800 units would be allocated to the army and 600 units each to both the navy and the air force, while another 500 units would be built for the Defence Ministry civilian staff.
"Each house measuring between 1,000 and 1,200 sq ft is priced between RM150,000 and RM250,000 per unit, much lower than the market price," he said.
He said his ministry planned to build more than 25,000 units in 13 selected locations throughout the country by 2030.
In a related development, Hishammuddin said 1,888 units of houses under the "Rumah Idaman" programme, in cooperation with the Lembaga Tabung Angkatan Tentera (LTAT), or the Armed Forces Fund Board, had been sold to military personnel in Bukit Jalil, here, as well as in Johor Baru, Johor and Mutiara Damansara, in Selangor.
A total of 2,000 units of houses in Taman Bukit Jalil are to be ready by end of the year and 304 units of one-storey terrace houses in Segari, Perak are scheduled for completion in April next year. — Bernama