Minister wants cool heads over BMC saga

The federal government is ready to be the facilitator in the ongoing saga between Bandar Mahkota Cheras residents and a toll concessionaire over an access to a toll-free alternate road.

At the same time Works Minister Mohd Zin Mohamad also urged the opposition not to take the law into their own hands on the matter.

He said that actions by the Pakatan Rakyat parliamentarians in leading the charge to dismantle barriers placed by highway concessionaire Grand Saga Sdn Bhd would send a wrong message to the business community.

"The opposition's action in dismantling the barricade recently had sent a wrong message to the business community in the country," Mohd Zin said.

“You (Selangor government) are sending a very wrong message to the business community as we are talking about the rule of law, we should just let the court decide (first)," he added.

He said that as he singled out Selangor state exco Ronnie Liu who was quoted in the media reports as ordering the barrier to be dismantled.

Let the court decide

Replying to a Tan Kok Wai's (DAP-Cheras) question in parliament, Mohd Zin said: "We are talking about the rule of law and in order to defend it, let the court decide".

He added that the government cannot take any action to resolve the dispute because of the pending court case on the matter.

"If the ministry takes action, it is feared that this may be subjudice to the case," he said in reply.

Narajaya Developer, who was responsible for structuring the toll-free access road had filed a court case against Grand Saga and Malaysian Highway Authority on Oct 4 last year to open the road.

Grand Saga barricaded the road three years ago, a move which upset the residents who had been using the road to enter the expressway without having to pay toll at Batu 11, Cheras.

Fiday night melee

In recent weeks, the residents had removed the barriers on their own, only for Grand Saga to put them up again.

On Friday night, BMC residents were forcibly dispersed from the site by police with tear gas and water cannons.

In the ensuing melee, DAP's Segambut MP Lim Lip Eng and BMC Open Road Committee chairperson Tan Boon Hwa were allegedly assaulted by plainclothes police officers.

Mohd Zin also rejected the claims by Tan that the government was siding with the concessionaire over the matter.

"It's a slander that we have ordered Grand Saga to get the assistance from the police. We have never issued such instructions,” said the minister.

He said the ministry had the responsibility to make sure that the law and the terms and conditions of the concession agreement were abided by.

‘Don't follow me'

In a related development, Segambut MP Lim advised the BMC residents not to follow his action.

"I just want to advise the local residents not to follow suit and don't put your life at stake over this," he told reporters at a press conference at the parliament lobby, adding that he "is fine".

Lim said he planned to sue the police over the injury he suffered in the midst of the melee and for the damage done to his car.

"(I will do this) unless the police, especially the Inspector-General of Police (Musa Hassan) apologises to me and the BMC residents unreservedly and pays for the damages to my car," he added.

Lim was met by reporters after a visit from his party colleagues following his run in with the police on Friday night. The debutant MP also received a bouquet from DAP Taman Klang Utama branch chairperson Ng See Leong.

Also present at the press conference were Cheras MP Tan and PKR's Kelana Jaya MP Loh Gwo-Burne.

During the question session earlier, Lim tried to raise a supplementary question on the BMC issue but to no avail.

"I am the victim," he told the Speaker as he stood up repeatedly, hoping to be given a chance to speak but failed eventually.

SPECIAL REPORT: The Grand Saga in Cheras