OMG! They told us it was too good to be true!

I came across an interesting advertisement which appeared on December 11, 1998 on Page 22 of The New Straits Times! Land at Bandar Golden Valley Golf Resort was offered for sale at half price! And in huge bold type is the heading "1/2 Price Sale, Oh my God", followed by a smaller heading which reads "It's too good to be true!" And those who buy the land with Visa, Master and Amex credit cards will be offered a RM10,000 discount! I wonder how many people were taken in by the advertisement which also offered a Buy-Back Scheme! Well, there is a catch though... they can only sell back the purchase after six months of having built their bungalow! The ad includes an impressive calculation to show that with just a small investment every month, the purchaser stands to gain as much as RM60,000 once their bungalow is built! Now more than 12 years later, they have not even got the land!

The advertisement turns out to be exactly what it is – "Too good to be true!" So they have indeed warned us that the deal is too fantastic to be true. What good is a RM10,000 discount when you have lost more cash than that? But how can the developer get away with all our money without facing any consequences?

And the advertisement prominently stated that the project is a joint development between Yeng Chong Realty Sdn Bhd and Malaysian Building Society Development Sdn Bhd (a susbsidiary of MBSB) .

When the going was good, there was partnership. Then things turned sour, one party is disclaiming partnership. What about the purchasers who have been left in the lurch? Many of them are not well to do and need the money. The last we heard, MBSB was going to call up Yeng Chong to come to some agreement to pay the purchasers. We are still waiting.

The advertisement in the NST on Dec 11, 1998, page 22
For an enlarged image of the ad, go to http://news.google.com

Police Move Into Action

Sorry, folks for not updating you for some time. Things are a bit "slow" at the moment. We have to give the police time to look into our case. The latest is that they have started investigation and are beginning to knock on doors to gather information. We will check with them for updates soon. So those who have not made a police report please do so at Balai Polis Bukit Indah, Ampang. Bring along a photocopy of the Sales & Purchase Agreement and photocopies of the instalment receipts/invoices.

We hope to get Yeng Chong Realty Sdn Bhd to the discussion table again before we decide on further action. The managing director, Mr Piong, said he was overseas and would be available after Nov 26 for a dialogue. We hope he has something concrete to offer us. The last time we saw him was at the Public Complaints Bureau on 4 May 2009.

Mr Piong stated that we would get our money back only if Yeng Chong wins the court case against MBSB. Why should it be so? We paid for land which we did not get so we are entitled to a refund, regardless of the outcome of the court case with MBSB. Anyway, we can infer from Mr Piong’s statement that the court case was still on-going and that no judgment was passed.

The fact that no judgment was passed whatsoever was also expressed by MBSB officials and their external lawyers. In fact, one of the lawyers said that the case was likely to drag on for years.

It will be to everyone's advantage to settle the case out of court. Then they can move on and do whatever they want with the land. We hope MBSB is serious about settling the case. They have put someone solely in charge of the Bandar Golden Valley Golf Resort project. The BGVAC chairman hopes to call him up soon.

The BGVAC hopes to convene a meeting to weigh our options on how best to proceed once this meeting with Yeng Chong transpires.

Meeting with MBSB

A few members of the Bandar Golden Valley Action Committee had another meeting with the Malaysia Building Society Bhd officials on Aug 12. The main topic of discussion was the joint account set up by Yeng Chong Realty Sdn Bhd and MBSB. All the instalments collected from purchasers were supposed to be banked into this account but most of the cash had been withdrawn by one party. We wanted to know how this could be possible as we were told by Yeng Chong that our money was in this joint account and that it was frozen and could not be withdrawn due to the court case. Well, apparently MBSB had nothing to do with the collection of instalments as it was handled by Yeng Chong Realty Bhd. The question is, how can they set up a joint bank account and not keep control of the funds? Where is our money?

MBSB denied that they were in joint-venture with Yeng Chong and that they were just the financiers. A court hearing between the two parties would be held on August 28 and MBSB hopes to get a court judgment then. As financier they would have first claim on the land. What about us? According to MBSB, they contacted Yeng Chong one and half months ago to meet to discuss a way out for the purchasers but Yeng Chong has not fixed a date yet.

We hope the two parties will come up with some sort of repayment soon. There are no two ways about it. We paid for land which we did not get, so we are entitled to a refund. If not, something must be wrong with this country, when corporations and companies can get away with such outright acts of injustice!!!

Make Police Report

The committee members of BGVAC met on August 1 to discuss various action plans. One of the topics of discussion was regarding the lodging of police reports. The BGVAC made a police report on the morning before the rally outside Yeng Chong's office on July 22. However, the police said individual buyers had to make a report as well. Since it will be difficult to get everyone to gather at the police station to make the reports, it was decided at the committee meeting that buyers should go to the police station themselves to make the report.

The report has to be made at Balai Polis Bukit Indah, Ampang. Bring along a photocopy of the Sales & Purchase Agreement and photocopies of the instalment receipts/invoices. First lodge a report at the ground floor with the counter official on duty, then proceed to the first floor to meet an officer by the name of Tuan Razif (013-3311460) who is in charge of the case. He will again take down your statement. It will speed things up a bit if you tell him that you are coming to lodge the same report as all purchasers of Bandar Golden valley Golf Resort land. Land purchasers are encouraged to take time to go and make the report to lend strength to our complaints.

More Protest Photos

Thanks, Allen for the collage of photos taken during the protest rally at Yeng Chong's office. Your words of encouragement are appreciated. At least some positive things came out of the rally. Firstly, our problems were highlighted in the media. More importantly, we got the opportunity to meet fellow purchasers, some of whom we have not met before. Who knows, this could be the beginning of friendships being struck!

Allan says:
I wish to thank Mr John and all the committee members who had organised the protest day at Yeng Chong's office. It went off like clockwork despite some glitches at the police station with Mr John making the police report. Most important was the display of our esprit decorps and we are gaining in strength. Let's keep up the momentum as Mr John should receive a reply/report from the police in one month's time. Meanwhile keep being in the loop.

Thanks for the support!

The Chairman of the BGVAC Mr Christopher John says:

Dear All,

Wednesday July 22, 2009 was a great day! Yes, there was a solar eclipse, but there was also another exciting event, our peaceful rally in front of Yeng Chong’s office.

I wish to thank all those purchasers, who took time off from their job or business, and in some cases, even travelled a great distance from other states to support us. I would also like to thank all the BGVAC committee members for sacrificing their time and energy, seeing to so many different aspects of this. I even wish to thank YB Tan Kok Wai for supporting our rally in front of Yeng Chong’s office. I also have to thank the police for their kind cooperation, and even the media for carrying our story. I am aware that Malaysiakini, Sin Chew Daily and The China Press published our story.

The day started very early for many of us. While the vast majority of land buyers, including some committee members, went to Yeng Chong's office, Raha, John Oh and I went to the police headquarters opposite Pudu jail. We were there to fill out the police report. YB Tan Kok Wai joined us there.

It seemed an eternity going through the bureaucratic process of filling out this report. Then of course, Murphy’s Law struck with computer glitches, which delayed things further. In the meantime, I was getting phone calls from other committee members who were on site at Yeng Chong's office, asking where we were. They were also telling me what was happening in front of Yeng Chong’s office.

Reporters were outside waiting for us, as John Oh, Raha & I were leaving the police station. We were trying to rush to the Yeng Chong’s office, and were trying to tell them to meet us there. However, they said that they had been waiting for us for a long time. So we obliged. I believe that they were from the Malay press.

YB Tan Kok Wai was parked in a different area, and so managed to speed off to Yeng Chong’s office much faster than us. That’s why he was at Yeng Chong’s office earlier than us.

A few of us went to yet another police station, this time dealing with commercial crimes. Although this needs to be verified, it looks like Yeng Chong has launched yet another project in Malacca.

Anyway, I will be discussing with the rest of the committee on our next steps soon.

I also want to get a proper register of purchasers going. Some purchasers were calling me while I was driving. I didn't get a chance to get down their details, including their name, phone numbers and e-mail addresses as a result.

In the meantime, I am also toying with the idea of having some informal social meeting amongst all the buyers… a chance for everyone to get to know one another in a more relaxed, friendly atmosphere, perhaps on a weekend, when everyone is free. The problem would be to find a proper and affordable venue for all of us. What do you all think? Any suggestions? Any volunteers?

Protest highlighted in Anwar's blog

Our protest outside Yeng Chong Realty's office was also highlighted in Anwar Ibrahim's blog!

We are still hopeful the authorities will do something to get the responsible parties to pay us back the money. We will go seek the Prime Minister's help if we have to. He has said in his 1Malaysia blog that he will give the people his first priority and that he will fight corruption. We are the people and we are being cheated of our land. It has been 11 years and why are we still waiting?

The purchasers of the land in Jasin comprises a wide spectrum of people of all races and some of them are not very rich. They thought the land project was a a "safe" project as it was supposed to be a joint-venture with the Malaysia Building Society Berhad. Now MBSB claimed that they were not in joint-venture. They were merely the financiers. However, we paid the monthly instalments into a Yeng Chong/MBSB joint account. There were also Press reports of them signing the joint-venture agreement. If they had backed out of the joint-venture, they should inform the buyers about it. Then we would not have continued paying into the joint account all these years. As it is, some people are still paying the instalments!!!

Big Play Up in Malaysiakini, Sin Chew, China Press

Our rally at Yeng Chong Realty Sdn Bhd's office yesterday received a big play-up in Malaysiakini. There was a write up and also a video clip of what went on. The protest clip is also available on YouTube, courtesy of Malaysiakini. The Sin Chew Chinese newspaper also carried our story in the night edition. Another woman called up to say she read about us in The China Press and she had a group of about 8 buyers. Hopefully more buyers will come forward to lend a bigger voice to our cause.

We would like to register our thanks to the media for covering our story. We hope some of them will be curious enough to dig deeper into the story, like how did the state land in Jasin get into the hands of Yeng Chong Realty. And someone should also follow the money trail, where did all the millions collected from buyers go to. Until yesterday, the clerk at the Yeng Chong office was also telling some buyers that the joint account set up by Yeng Chong Realty and MBSB was frozen but the money was still there! She said they could not release the money as MBSB was the other signatory and that they were in litigation. However, we found out that most of the money had been withdrawn! How could this be? That is why we have lodged a police report. We hope the police will question her about it and help us by investigating the case as soon as possible. We have waited long enough.

From the gathering yesterday, we learned that some people who invested in the land were not rich. One lady used her baby-sitting money to pay for the instalments. She would take a bus monthly to go to the Yeng Chong office, baby in tow, to pay the instalments. Now she is worried she would not see her money again.

Another woman is having difficulties paying for her husband's medical bills and hope the money would be returned to her soon.

Among the group were old ladies who accompanied their children to attend the rally. An old Mak Cik said her daughter bought the land when her grand-children were still babies. Now the children are all grown and the land is still not in sight. She was going home to pray, she said.

Let us all pray for those who put us in such a predicament, and that they will wake up tomorrow and realise that they cannot just take the hard-earned money of the people without feeling any twinge of conscience. Many people are suffering because of the failed land deal. The right thing to do is return us our money. What is the use of a Sales & Purchase Contract if they do not honour it?

The Sin Chew article

Show of Frustration

The senior police officer listening to our plea

The MP for Cheras talking to some land purchasers

The big poster showing the signing ceremony and the
abandoned project

Inside Yeng Chong's office, Mr John showing the police report to
reporters while the MP, Mr Tan talks to the Press

No big bosses were in the office and so the crowd waited,
many still displaying the posters

The crowd left but they left the posters behind, some are pasted on
the wall, together with the memorandum

A group of land purchasers who felt they have been cheated gathered at the Yeng Chong Realty Sdn Bhd office in Taman Ampang Hilir at about 10am this morning to vent their frustration and to tell the mass media their situation. They carry placards saying phrases like "Where Is Our Money", "We're Fed Up", "Refund Our Money", "We Feel Cheated" in three languages. There was also a huge poster showing the signing ceremony of the joint-venture agreement between Yeng Chong and MBSB and the abandoned land which is still a palm oil plantation.

The MP for Cheras Mr Tan Kok Wai was good enough to turn up for the rally to show his sympathy and he told the people he would raise the matter in Parliament. He said there should be legislation to protect land purchasers. At the moment the land buyers can only seek redress in the civil court because the land transaction does not come under the Housing Act.

Before showing up at the gathering, the president of the BGVAC Mr Christopher John and a few committee members had lodged a police report at the Police Headquarters in Jalan Hang Tuah. Mr Tan was also there to show his support. "We want our money back and our patience is running out," Mr John said. "We have waited for more than 11 years and enough is enough."

There were a few senior police officers and police personnel at the place to stop us from gathering there as our permit for a gathering was denied.



However, when we pleaded with them and explained to them the reason for our need to show our protest, the officer relented and allowed us to show the placards and posters. We were also allowed to march into Yeng Chong's office to deliver a memorandum demanding the return of our money and to inform them that a police report has been made.

No manager or director was at the office. Only a few clerks were there and they said they had no authority to accept the memorandum. Mr Tan Kok Wai, who accompanied the group up to the office, said the directors should have the "guts to meet the people". He said they should have the moral responsibility to return the money if they are not giving them the land. The people have suffered long enough and some have put in their life savings into the land. Their refusal to meet the land buyers showed they are not committed to help the people, Mr Tan said. Ten years is long enough for anyone to wait, he added.

Our plight highlighted

Our interview with The Star appeared in Starbizweek section on Saturday, July 18. We are thankful that the newspaper carried it, although we were not the focus of the story. Our plight was told as another example of several projects that were abandoned. The reporter did not manage to get a comment from Yeng Chong Realty Sdn Bhd. However he did get a comment from a spokesperson of the Malaysian Building Society Bhd who told him that MBSB was planning to hold another meeting with the developer and the buyers to find "an amicable solution". We are still waiting for that meeting to take place. I am sure the reporter talked to the spokesperson some time ago.

Map to Yeng Chong's KL office

The map to Yeng Chong Realty Sdn Bhd which is at Excella Business Park, Block C, fifth floor. It is actually the first block as you enter the road off the MRR2 to Cheras. You are advised to take the side road parallel to the MRR2 as it will be difficult to turn if you take the flyover.

Pictures of the Abandoned Project

Red signboard warning people to keep out... next to a board stating Yeng Chong Realty Sdn Bhd's Malacca address and phone number

The tarred road has a barrier to keep out trespassers

The oil palm trees are still producing fruits

Some angry purchasers visited the land in Jasin, Malacca, recently and came back with these snapshots. Although nothing was done to the land, it looks like the through road is maintained to facilitate the harvesting of oil palm fruits. The oil palm trees were growing healthily and Yeng Chong Realty Sdn Bhd is still reaping the fruits and making a lucrative income from the land while we wait in vain for our money to be returned or the land to be handed to us!!!! Well, palm oil prices were very high the last few years and Yeng Chong would have made a lot of money from the plantation. So why are they not giving us back the cash? Some of us visited the place about 10 years ago and workers were busy harvesting the oil palm fruits. The proceeds of the palm oil sale should come to us. And there is a signboard warning people to keep out, next to a board to say the land belongs to Yeng Chong Realty Sdn Bhd, giving the Malacca address and contact number.

It looks like the purchasers also made a mistake of thinking that the golf course next door is part of the project and snapped this new signboard welcoming people to the Golden Valley Golf & Country Club. Many purchasers thought the golf club was part of the land, which is called Bandar Golden Valley Golf Resort. When we visited the golf club, they told us they had nothing to do with the land! One would not be blamed for making that mistake as the brochure released by Yeng Chong Realty at the launch of the land sale also had pictures of the then chairman of Yeng Chong Realty Sdn Bhd Mr Lee Sung Yong playing golf with royalty at the golf club.

The signboard welcoming people to the golf club which had
nothing to do with the land

Taken from the promotional brochure

Still Stuck in Smallville

Yes, we have discovered that we are no superhuman and cannot shake things up to solve our predicament. In fact we are finding it hard to break the barrier of obstacles in our path. The Public Complaints Bureau seems eager to listen to our problems but have not done much to solve our problem. We met the officers, together with Yeng Chong Realty Bhd and their lawyer and MBSB and their lawyers on May 4. Almost two months later, there are still no significant headway. MBSB has given us the Cause Papers to show the transactions regarding the Yeng Chong/MBSB Joint Account but Yeng Chong had not fulfilled their part, that is furnishing the BGVAC with the list of purchasers claiming subjudice.

At the latest meeting with the PCB on June 30, no one from Yeng Chong or MBSB was present. The Deputy Minister Dato' T. Murugiah was present this time. He was sympathetic towards our plight and said that it was not fair that we could not get the land or our cash back but he said he could not do much at the moment as the two parties were not there. He then instructed his officers to ask the Finance Ministry to write to Yeng Chong and MBSB to inquire why they were not present at the meeting.

Meanwhile, committee members of BGVAC could only make another appeal to the Deputy Minister to help us. Some little birds in the right places have told us that other parties are eyeing the prime piece of land. They are just waiting for the court case between Yeng Chong and MBSB to be settled and than they would make a bid for the land. Then what happens to us, the original buyers of the land?

Where is the justice? Some people enriched themselves from the sale of the land while we are made the victims. Most land purchasers are not rich people and many needed the cash badly to settle urgent problems. It just shows the greed of modern capitalists. They are like vultures waiting to swoop down on the prey, even before the body is cold. Where is the moral conscience and social justice?

We hope that the Government will do something to make sure we get back what is rightfully ours. The land is definitely going to be worth much more than what we paid for 10 years ago, at RM11.60 per sq ft, when it is converted to commercial land and some people will make a huge profit out of it again. So why not pay us back what is owed to us?

The Dato' promised to call a meeting with Yeng Chong to thrash out the matter, as the Sales and Purchase Agreement was signed with Yeng Chong. He also promised to go to the site of the land in Jasin, Malacca. We buyers will be there! We are not giving up that easily.

BGVAC members talking to Dato' Murugiah (in suit)

Studying the Cause Papers

The President of the BGVAC (Bandar Golden Valley Action Committee), Mr Christopher John, has been busy chasing the various parties to honour their promises made during the May 4 meeting in front of the Public Complaints Bureau officials.

MBSB agreed to give us the Cause Papers and they have done so. These papers show the transactions in the Yeng Chong-MBSB joint account. We are still studying the papers and will be seeking advice from Mr Chang Kim Loong (General Secretary, National House Buyers Association, who is himself a lawyer). Hopefully the papers can shed some light on who has cashed out our money.

MBSB had also agreed to bring up the issue of the purchasers to their Board of Directors. We are not sure whether the Board has met.

Meanwhile Yeng Chong seems to have second thoughts about giving us the list of buyers as agreed to by Mr Piong (Yeng Chong's Managing Director ) and Mr Dicom (Yeng Chong's lawyer) in front of everyone present at the May 4 meeting. They are now claiming that it is subjudice as they have an on-going trial with MBSB.

Mr Christopher is still in contact with the Public Complaints Bureau, as well as Senator Murugiah's office, on this issue.

We have been interviewed by a journalist but we are not sure when our story will be published. Well, we can only deduce that there are more pressing stories fighting for newspaper space and ours is considered "timeless" and can be held back a little longer.

We are in contact with another group of purchasers who have been dealing with the DAP on the same issue. Mr Christopher has spoken to their lawyer. It was agreed that the two groups meet and coordinate their efforts, so as to be more effective.

The wheel of action is turning, although it is an uphill task. We have to keep on pressing...

Another set back but we will persevere!

It looks like our determination is being tested again. Do we have the stamina and willpower to stay on course to get back what is rightfully ours? Some have dithered but others are as determined as ever, even as we face another hurdle again. We made a tiny headway when the Public Complaints chief Dato' T. Murugiah decided to take up our cause. Our hopes were raised when he called the parties involved to the table. But then problems cropped up. The Dato' is now facing some problems of his own and fighting for his political survival. We pray that he comes out of his fight a winner.

So it looks like we are back to square one but then there are more than one way to get round a problem. We are looking into other avenues so guys, hang on tight. Keep the faith.

Face To Face

It is heartening to note that the Public Complaints Bureau is pro-active and has kept to its word of arranging a meeting between the various parties concerned. The various groups met on May 4 in Putrajaya, but unfortunately Dato' T. Murugiah was unable to attend the meeting as he had an emergency meeting.

Chairing the meeting was En. Aziz and those present were representatives from Yeng Chong, MBSB, the Malacca Land Office and other agencies. And of course reps from BGVAC were there.

For the first time we managed to get the main parties, namely Yeng Chong and MBSB, to sit down with us to have a face-to-face. We have been trying to do that since 2004 but was unsuccessful. So it is a step forward for us, although we have still a long way to go. However, we are tenacious and will not be giving up, even if the going is tough.

Yeng Chong has agreed to hand over to the PCB the list of purchasers and MBSB will release to us the cause papers that will show us the transactions and cash position in the joint Yeng Chong/MBSB account.

All we want is our refund, even if there is a court case going on. Isn't it justified that whoever took the buyers' cash, for whatever purpose, should pay us back the cash? We do not have to wait for the outcome of the court case... unless the cash is no longer in the joint account. And this would mean what? We will then have to take another course of action. So we are anxiously waiting for the cause papers to be released to us.

En. Aziz mentioned to MBSB representatives to bring the issue of purchasers up to their Board of Directors. They agreed.

Whatever it is, we will persevere and come up with a different course of action to make ourselves heard.

We may look like kittens, but don't awaken the lion in us...

Multi-level Marketing Scheme

The first and the last?

It is interesting to note that our land in Jasin, Malacca was the first land project to be sold through a multi-level marketing scheme. Perhaps we should get Dato' T. Murugiah to contact the relevant ministry in charge of issuing multi-level permits to check on Yeng Chong Realty Sdn Bhd or its agent involved in selling the parcels of land to us, how it has turned sour and nothing was done to make them accountable.

When it was first launched in 1999, the project was launched with a bang and the pieces of land were sold off like hot cakes. We need not pay a deposit and have ten years to pay for the land. Besides, we were given to understand that MBSB, a subsidiary of EPF, was involved in the project, as stated in the Sales and Purchase Agreement.

Well, the scheme has failed and nobody was hauled up to answer for it. What makes it difficult for us to stomach was that the developers were still collecting money from unsuspecting purchasers although many have stopped paying the instalments (though only very recently).

It looks like the ones who made money were the agents who sold us the land. But many agents themselves bought pieces of land too and were now stuck like us.

So where have the millions of ringgit collected gone?

The Wheel Is Turning!

Good news, guys! The BGVAC had a very successful meeting with Dato' T. Murugiah (Deputy Minister in the Prime Minister's Department) on April 28. The Dato' understood our plight and immediately moved into action.

It is very obvious that we are the victims of the failed project in Malacca. We have paid money for land which we did not get!!! And some unsuspecting purchasers are still paying into the MBSB/Yeng Chong account. It is only just that we get back our money.

Dato' Murugiah had scheduled a press conference on another matter but he also brought up our problem to the pressmen. He also told the press that he would visit the Bandar Golden Valley site. The BGVAC members who were present also spoke to some of the journalists, who were mostly from the Malay and Indian language newspapers. Unfortunately, the Chinese and English language press did not interview the BGVAC members. Hopefully they will be there for the site visit.

The president of the BGVAC had sent a letter to the New Straits Times to highlight our problem but it has not been published yet.

Apart from the site visit, Dato' Murugiah and his officers are going to organise a meeting between the BGVAC, all relevant ministries, MBSB and Yeng Chong. To show that he means business, he had asked his officers to schedule the meeting next Monday.

Thank You, Dato' for listening to our problem and moving into action so swiftly. We really need the muscle of the Government to help us here. Some purchasers need the money to see them through this present hard times.

So purchasers who have not signed up with the action committee should stand up to be counted now.

Still in the dark...

At last MBSB officers and lawyers agreed to meet us on April 2 but it was not a fruitful meeting. In fact, there were some tense moments when some BGVAC members asked them about the money in the joint account of MBSB/Yeng Chong. We could not get a straight answer and was asked to write to their lawyer to show us the cause papers which would tell us how much money was still in the account. And bad news, guys! It seems most of the money has been withdrawn!

We want to know how this could come about as this is the cash of the purchasers. We could not get details from MBSB... probably because of the on-going court tussle with Yeng Chong. Whatever it is, we are very angry... our hard-earned cash is no longer in the account. And to think Yeng Chong is still collecting the monthly instalments from the purchasers!

As expected, MBSB claimed that they were not in joint venture with Yeng Chong to develop the Malacca land. But we saw in the newspaper cuttings that there were handshakes and a joint-venture signing ceremony to show that there was some collaboration between MBSB and Yeng Chong. It was announced in the newspapers that the profit-sharing is on a 55:45 basis, with Yeng Chong taking the bigger share. If there were no joint-ventures, why did MBSB keep quiet all this time and allowed purchasers to go on believing that MBSB was a partner in the project. At no point did purchasers get any denial from MBSB that it was not in joint venture with Yeng Chong. And why set up the joint account which all purchasers pay to? We should get back our money if the project has been abandoned, plus all the interest accrued.

Many things do not add up... The BGVAC is getting advice from the National House Buyers Association to plan our next move. One plan of action is to seek the help of the newspapers and the Public Complaints Bureau, as we seem to be unable to seek a meeting with the MP of Jasin, of which our land is in. We had wanted him to get the help of the Chief Minister to look into the problem.

Anyway, we managed to seek an appointment with Datuk Murugiah , the Deputy Minister in the Prime Minister's Department, who is also in charge of the Public Complaints Bureau. The meeting was fixed for April 28.

The Waiting Game

The pro-tem committee was looking forward to listen to what MBSB had to say about their involvement in the failed land scheme. The corporate lawyer called to say they were willing to meet a few of the committee members, together with their lawyers and a company executive. However, at the eleventh hour, she called to say the meeting was postponed as they had urgent matters to attend to. Of course, we were not important. We are just the bugs that have been pestering them for a meeting. Anyway, it has been a week since the postponement... no new date has been fixed. All we want to know is what happened to the money that we paid into the Yeng Chong/MBSB account. We have been asked to follow the money trail... hope it has not gone cold.

Meanwhile the Malacca reps seemed embroiled in their own problems to care about the common people. We are also waiting for a meeting. Sigh!

We are looking for a powerful person who will help us take more tough action!!! Any volunteers? We will be able to repay you when we get back our money. The land should be worth a lot of money now. We just hope that it will not be grabbed from right under our noses!!!

The going is tough!

Progress to seek redress is tough-going as most of the pro-tem committee members have a day job and are particularly busy this time of the year. Let's hope our fight to get back our land is not in danger of being just another elusive dream. We seem to have hit a brick wall and can only convince ourselves to be patient. We have waited ten years, so what is another few months?

The "big shots" are now busy with the three by-elections coming up and we doubt they will have the time of day for some victims of a land deal gone sour! All the political parties are treating the by-elections as the general election and the everyone is feverishly campaigning. All other things would have to take a back seat. It is bad news for us as we await word to get a meeting with the political representative.

Moving Into Action!

The pro-tem committee held its third meeting on Jan 31 and decided on a certain course of action. Now it needs to drum up support from as many purchasers as possible to lend it s stronger voice. A search with the Malacca Land Office showed that many caveats were placed on the land! Surfing the Net reveals that some land purchasers have taken individual court action against Yeng Chong.

The pro-tem committee thinks that time is of essence and should act as a group as quickly as possible. We don't want to be robbed of our hard-earned money by keeping silent! We are the small man caught in the tussle between two giants. It is time that someone in power step in to help us get our money back. It has been 10 years and some buyers are still paying for the land via auto deductions into the Yeng Chong/MBSB account.

Project launched with huge publicity

Above: The report on the signing agreement between Yeng Chong Realty Sdn Bhd and MBSB Delopment Sdn Bhd in The Star in April 1999 and below, in the Utusan Malaysia on the same event.

The full-page advertisement in a Chinese newspaper promoting the land sale

The country's main newspapers were invited to witness the signing of the agreements between Yeng Chong Realty Sdn Bhd and MBSB Development Sdn Bhd and between Yeng Chong and MBSB Berhad. Shown above are cuttings from two newspapers which prominently reported on the event.

Buyers were also treated to a dinner at the Shangri-la Hotel to celebrate the launch. Now, almost 10 years down the road, Yeng Chong is in a legal battle with MBSB. Meanwhile, land buyers are left in the lurch, wondering when they are going to get their money back, money which they paid monthly into a Yeng Chong/MBSB account and which Yeng Chong said was frozen. The money belongs to the land-buyers, so why can't they get it back now?

It is hoped that more land buyers will come forward to join the pro-tem committee set up by some of the buyers to fight for their rights to the money.

Unity is strength

Buyers See Red!
Still waiting for land, after 10 years

Some 50 purchasers of the Bandar Golden Valley Golf Resort in Jasin, Malacca, have decided to form an action committee to fight for their rights to the land. Calling themselves the Bandar Golden Valley Action Group (BGV Action Group), the land buyers have met twice to initiate plans to get themselves heard. It is understood that there are hundreds of buyers out there, if not into the thousand. It is hoped that with the setting up of the action group, others will come forward to lend their voice.

The land sale was initiated by Yeng Chong Realty Sdn Bhd, the original owner of the land. Parcels of land were sold via a multi-level-marketing scheme in 1999. The lots were sold off fast as buyers thought it was a viable project, one funded by the Malaysian Building Society Bhd, as stated in the Sales & Purchase Agreement. It was also stated in the S&P that the project would also be developed by Yeng Chong on a joint-venture basis with MBSB Development Sdn Bhd, a subsidiary of MBSB. The signing ceremony of the joint-venture agreement were publicised in the major newspapers like The Star and Utusan Melayu. The land sale was also advertised in full-page ads in the Chinese Press.

The purchasers had to pay for the land for a fixed sum without interest over a period of 10 years. The land would be sub-divided and the infrastructure would be built within three years and the land handed over to the buyers to build their homes. It has been 10 years and nothing was done to the land.

Some buyers are still paying for the land as Yeng Chong Realty is still asking for payment and sending reminders to them saying that overdue instalments will be charged a 10 per cent interest. Many thought the land was there and if anything should happen they would be able to get their money back. They have been told by the Yeng Chong Realty office that the money is safe as it is in an account set up under "Yeng Chong/MBSB" and that it had been frozen, so no one could touch it. Buyers kept on paying their instalments because they did not want to pay the 10 per cent penalty and they were still confident that their money was safe in the frozen account.

Lately, some angry buyers met up with the Yeng Chong management and were told that the project was held up because they were in a legal tussle with MBSB. The land is charged to MBSB and the purchasers are worried that they would not get the land if MBSB wins the case.

Some buyers have also approached MBSB for some answers and were told that they had nothing to do with the S&P agreement, although MBSB Development was named as the joint-venture developer. They maintained that the S&P was signed with Yeng Chong and not with them. However, buyers are puzzled as they had been remitting money to this account set up under "Yeng Chong/MBSB" and they have not received any denials from MBSB that they had no involvement in the joint account.

Now the land purchasers want their money back but were told that the account was frozen because of the legal battle. But is the money still there? The land buyers are demanding that some one in authority will step in to help them as they are in the dark over the actual situation.

Others have stopped paying their instalments only recently, so their investment is quite substantial, as much as RM100,000. A few buyers bought more than one plot. Many have stopped payment after the land was not handed to them for development after three years and would be owed about RM20,000 to RM30,000. However, all are crying foul that the developer is still holding onto their money while not developing the land. Some have taken legal action to try and get back their money. The National House Buyers Association's website at http://www.hba.org.my/laws/CourtCases/2006/chin_kit_yee.htm highlighted a case whereby the purchaser sued Yeng Chong Realty Sdn Bhd for refund of the money he paid. He won the case but he did not execute the judgement. We are wondering why?

Among the BGV action group was a civil servant and she told us that there were also civil servants who bought the land. We urge them, and all buyers, to come forward and join the action group so that we can demand for our rights in a concerted manner.

Many buyers were taken in by the brochure (front and inside pages) that was printed to promote the sale of the land in April 1999. Signing ceremony between Yeng Chong Realty Sdn Bhd and MBSB and its subsidiary MBSB Development Sdn Bhd was prominently promoted in the brochure.