Eighteen months ago, we here at BigDogDotCom scooped a story about one of PM ‘Flip-Flop’ Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi’s cronies attempted to ‘plunder’ one of the prime parcel within Universiti Malaya campus. The culprit at the moment is at the helm of one of PM ‘Flip-Flop’ Abdullah’s legacy economic corridors.
It seems that the sixth Prime Minister’s administration would put a full stop on this. Please read this afternoon’s Malay Mail for details.
*Updated 400pm
The Malay Mail story:
UM condo plan scrapped
Submitted by amir azree on Friday, August 14th, 2009Varsity to keep 11.1ha plot for future generationsFriday, August 14th, 2009 06:12:00
THE controversial 2007 plan to develop a parcel of land at the Universiti Malaya main campus in Petaling Jaya for a commercial housing project has been scrapped.
The 11.1ha plot of land, which was to have been developed into condominiums and villas in a gated community, has been saved for future generations.
Universiti Malaya vice-chancellor Professor Datuk Dr Ghauth Jasmon told Malay Mail yesterday the plan had been called off.
When met outside his office after UM’s convocation ceremony, he did not elaborate when the plan was cancelled or who had directed it to be called off.
Asked about the university’s plans for the undeveloped plot of land, Ghauth said it would not be sold. “The land is for the future generations.We have no plan to sell it or develop it.”
Malay Mail had earlier learnt that the project to develop the land had been cancelled. It is not certain who had made the call and Malay Mail was unable to get any comment from Glomac Bhd group managing director and chief executive officer Datuk Fateh Iskandar Mohamed Mansor.
Glomac is part of the PPC-Mint-Glomac consortium named in 2007 by the university as the entity appointed to undertake the controversial project.
Then UM vice-chancellor Datuk Rafiah Salim had said the university’s board of directors and the university had sought the government’s approval on Jan 25, 2008, for the development project.
Project proposed in 2007
REPORTS of a commercial plan to develop the plot of Universiti Malaya land came to light in 2007.A news report said GuocoLand (Malaysia) Bhd, a property developer controlled by Tan Sri Quek Leng Chan, had made a bid to relocate Universiti Malaya from Petaling Jaya to Sepang.
The bid could have yielded a RM10 billion project to complement GuocoLand’s planned RM1.2 billion Damansara City development and UM would be offered part of the property giant’s 4,860-hectare land bank in Sepang.
GuocoLand officials and a Hong Leong group spokesman declined comment on the plan and Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi — who was then the Prime Minister — quashed these rumours, saying that the university’s campus had historical significance.
In February 2008, UM announced a plan had been submitted to the Ministry of Higher Education on Jan 25 the previous year to develop Lot 10476 — a 11.1ha piece of underutilised land on its 360ha campus.
Upon completion of the project, UM would reportedly receive a minimum income of RM312 million or the land value of RM200 million plus a share of the developer’s profit, whichever is higher.
It was also revealed by then vice-chancellor Datuk Rafiah Salim that the university’s board of directors (UMBD) had appointed Colliers International Property Consultants Sdn Bhd in 2007 to conduct an independent assessment on this proposal —in line with the government’s plan for public universities to be financially independent.
Colliers invited eight developers to submit proposals for the development but only five did. Three were shortlisted and two, which made their presentations to UM on Sept 27, 2007, were appointed to undertake their project in the form of the PPC-Mint-Glomac consortium.
The consortium, in another presentation on Oct 9, 2007, said the proposed University of Malaya Alumni Association (Paum) clubhouse and the Palapes (Reserve Officer Training Unit) camp would also be on the land to be developed.
On Dec 13, 2007, UMBD said that, subject to agreement by Paum, the site for the building of Paum’s clubhouse and the Palapes camp would be relocated to sites identified by UM.
While the plan may have been aimed to boost the university’s revenues, it also stirred up a huge controversy
— drawing wide criticism from scholars, politicians and bloggers who disagreed with the proposal.While UM tried to allay the backlash by giving assurances the development would be conducted in a transparent manner, with decisions made to be based on independent professional advice, the proposal has remained on the backburner all this while.
The "thirteen million plus Ringgit" guy rambles.... 
I hope you would continue your fight against whatever’s killing UMNO within.
People like you makes me proud to be UMNO.
Another good news i heard that KJ gonna jump! Amin!
Last nite my friend send sms KJ is jumping. Is it true?
Yes last nite my friend send sms KJ jumping. Is it true?
I heard someone hasn’t given up hope yet. The project is still in his list of things to do when he eventually becomes PM.
Meanwhile, as heard form the grapevine, as a proof concept, someone connected to the fella is planning for a development of a parcel of land considered as the most pristine part of a college of in Oxford that will be developed in order to give the Brits a taste of gated housing, the Malaysian style :-