We write this statement in response to the letter by Bukit Lanjan assemblyperson Elizabeth Wong in Malaysiakini on March 26, 2016 on the Selangor government’s attempt at degazetting several forest reserves.

In the statement, Wong accused Parti Sosialis Malaysia (PSM) as “falsely accusing the Selangor government of simultaneously wiping out key forest heritage” and that similar accusations by Parti Gerakan Rakyat Malaysia (Gerakan) were unfounded.

According to her, Selangor has more than 250,000 hectares of forest reserves and that even if 33 hectares of proposed forest were degazetted, it would be replaced. It would appear that accusations by PSM and Gerakan were false primarily because of this ‘fact’.

If there is anyone guilty of omission of facts, it would Wong herself.

Wong failed to explain in detail why the forest reserves are being degazetted, merely hiding behind the following catchall statement that “the state only allows the clearing of forests for infrastructure and utility projects, for example roads, water, power and gas”.

More importantly, she totally failed explain what the environmental impacts would be thereafter.

Wong should be forthright on the reason why the Selangor government is degazetting a forest reserve: that is to accommodate the BN federal government plan to build the Damansara-Shah Alam Expressway (DASH) and the Sungai Besi-Ulu Kelang Expressway (SUKE), with a combined value of RM11.5 billion and a sweet, sweet concession agreement to collect toll for 65 years!

We know too that these two highway projects will add to the cost of subsidies that the federal government pays out.

Works Minister Fadillah Yusof recently went on record as saying that the federal government allocates RM500 million a year in subsidies to existing toll concessionaires each year, with the possibility of having to raise those subsidies to RM1 billion next year.

But more worryingly, and specifically, Wong failed to explain the need to degazette the Sungai Buloh Forest Reserve when the chosen alignment for Dash does not actually run through said reserve, as stated in the Environmental Impact Assessment for Dash.

This makes us question whether the Selangor government actually intend to degazette the Sungai Buloh Forest Reserve for the Dash project or whether there is actually another ulterior motive to it, with Dash being used as a convenient excuse.

Whether an explanation is forthcoming, we would like to borrow the words of a friend on Twitter to put another point across about how Wong seems to equate that it would be okay to degazette and destroy one part of a forest reserve as long as it is replaced.

“If you cut down forest reserve in one area, marking another area as a reserve does not replace the environment that was destroyed. You don’t create a forest by just planting trees, Yang Berhormat.” - Khairil Yusof.

Simply put, Wong’s statement is extremely callous and unbefitting of her role as the Selangor state executive councillor in charge of the environment and green technology.

Finally, we would like to put on record that we are slighted by Wong’s willingness to respond to PSM and Gerakan while remaining silent on our accusations of her reneging on her promise in 2012 to stop the DASH highway.

The degazette notice raised our eyebrows, but Wong’s reply raises even more doubts. To say that we are disappointed and find her absolutely unworthy of her role as our elected representative would be an understatement of how we feel about her.

Say No to Dash (SNTD) Damansara Group represents the voice of residents opposing the Dash Highway alignment in the Damansara Segment of the proposed highway, specifically, the alignment via Damansara Perdana/Mutiara Damansara.