The Penang state government has made another offer to transfer ownership over a controversial heritage shophouse at 50 Love Lane in George Town to the Penang Chinese Clan Council (PCCC), reported Free Malaysia Today.
While the conditions are no longer as stringent as before, Penang Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow requires the clan council to pay a nominal fee of RM10 and RM23,132.56 in land assessment arrears.
Another condition is that the property can only be used as a museum and as an “early Chinese settlement interpretation centre”, with PCCC given five years to restore the shophouse in line with heritage building rules.
However, the clan council is prohibited from mortgaging, leasing, selling or transferring its ownership over the property in any manner.
The 1,560 sq ft unit is historically linked to the Ghee Hin secret society, a powerful Chinese group that ruled over most Chinese migrant workers in Penang during the 1800s. The property was formerly owned by Eng Siew Kee Kongsi and a five-member board of trustees was established to run the shophouse in 1909.
But the Penang State Government confiscated the property in 2013 due to failure to pay a huge amount of land tax, with the trustees having passed away decades ago and the Ghee Hin secret society no longer existing.
But since 2012, the PCCC has been asking the authorities to “return” the shophouse, claiming a connection with the Ghee Hin secret society through its ownership of Meng Eng Soo Temple in Jalan Pintal Tali, another property formerly owned by the defunct group.
Then in July 2017, former chief minister Lim Guan Eng offered to give the clan council the property for a nominal cost of RM1. But its members must show proof that they are the beneficial owners or heirs to the shophouse.
However, PCCC did not respond to Lim’s previous offer. Consequently, Chow offered to relinquish the Love Lane shophouse to the clan council with laxer conditions.
Image sourced from Free Malaysia Today
This article was edited by the editorial team of PropertyGuru. To contact them about this or other stories email editorialteam@propertyguru.com.my
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