The Petaling Jaya Municipal Council (MPPJ) has adamantly refused to entertain repeated requests for an interview with its president Emran Kadir on the councils controversial PJ1 local plan draft.
On April 12, malaysiakini faxed over a set of questions together with a request to interview Emran on this public interest issue.
A reply came from MPPJ public relations officer Haniza Abdul Hamid, in a letter dated April 13, stating that Emran was unable to meet the request. No reasons were given.
This has hampered efforts to clarify residents claims and allay fears that the proposals in the draft plan will arbitrarily infringe on their right to land ownership. More than 100,000 PJ residents out of a total population of almost half a million, fall within the earmarked area.
Shadow MPPJ chairperson Ronnie Liu said the MPPJ has yet to explain the need to increase population in PJ.
There are so many questions which remain unanswered and the residents are not getting a clear picture from the authorities.
They need to be assured in writing that their land will not be taken by the state.
The controversial plan spells out the projects planned for parts of PJ, spanning 13 years from 1997 to 2010.
Since Selangor Menteri Besar Dr Mohd Khir Toyo announced the PJ1 local plan draft on March 14, hundreds of residents have been confused with the conflicting assurances given by the respective state assemblypersons for the Bukit Gasing and Damansara Utama constituencies.
Illegal and anti-people
Opposition party PRM, the latest to join the bandwagon objecting to the draft plan, has submitted
a memorandum to Mohd Khir voicing concern that thousands of residents may be threatened by forced land acquisition.A copy of the memorandum dated April 18 was sent to the MPPJ, claiming that the draft plan was illegal and anti-people as it was not in line with the PJ and Part Of Klang District Structure Plan gazetted on Feb 15, 1996.
Designed more for the development of Subang Jaya, Shah Alam and Klang, the 1996 structure plan clearly prohibits redevelopment for most parts of PJ, as opposed to the current proposal by the MPPJ.
PRMs legal advisers are currently looking into the plan which allegedly contravenes the National Land Code and the Federal Constitution.
Beginning April 15, malaysiakini has published a four-part series
covering different aspects of the draft plan including the possibilities of reverse acquisition, a hidden agenda of social re-engineering and even questions on its legality.The hidden agenda
, according to some residents, is an attempt to change the voting pattern in PJ by altering the racial composition in certain areas, mostly where the lower-income group live, by bringing in outsiders.Compulsory acquisition
Over the past few weeks, the MPPJ has been holding numerous briefings seeking public feedback
on the draft plan.Major proposals
include several elevated interchanges, widening of roads, completion of the PJ side of the RM500 million New Pantai Expressway, change in land use, a common utility tunnel, massive landscaping and a centralised transportation terminal centre near Armada Hotel.Once the draft plan is adopted and PJ is gazetted as a development action area , the MPPJ is legally empowered to acquire, by purchase or by compulsory acquisition land to develop.
