GLCS to help government develop idle wakaf land

The Star, Wednesday June 11, 2008

BY MAZWIN NIK ANIS

Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Datuk Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said wakaf land available nationwide was valued at RM1.1bil and development had been slow due to financial limitations.

“We have decided that wakaf land needed to be developed, as the owners had given it away to be used for good purposes,” he said yesterday.

“Since the land bank is of substantial value, I am confident that GLCs would be interested in cooperating with us to develop it.”

Speaking at the launch of the wakaf, zakat and haj department’s human resource management and ICT strategic plan on Monday, Ahmad Zahid said the cooperation could either be build-and-transfer, profit-sharing or joint venture.

“We all feel the necessity to have a plan to develop wakaf land. However, we will have further brainstorming sessions to determine the type of development,” he said.