S'gor MB threatens to sue critic over Bukit Cerakah degazettement

Selangor Menteri Besar Amirudin Shari yesterday threatened to take legal action against a critic over the degazettement of 406ha of the Bukit Cerakah Forest Reserve.

This is after a Twitter user asked if the degazettement happened because the MB is looking for political funding in the lead-up to the general election.

"Brother, pass me your address because I want to sue you for accusing me of taking money from developers," the MB said on Twitter.

Amirudin (above) also doubled down on his earlier explanation that the state decided to proceed with the degazettement process, approved in the year 2000, to avoid legal action.

"Nothing to hide. I just want to protect the interest of the state. I don't want to repeat the mistake by past leaders, which burdened the state with legal action and we have to pay a huge amount after losing in court," the MB said.

Amirudin added that cancelling the 2000 decision would benefit developers more because they can reap hefty compensation from the loss of business.

"This will benefit developers who will get compensation through legal action, including interest accrued annually as per many cases currently faced by the state," he said.

He also said there have been no new approvals given to developing any area of the Bukit Cerakah Forest Reserve, and the area cleared is likely an area where permissions were obtained long ago.

"I will find out whose land was cleared," he said.

This comes after Utusan Malaysia front-page report that the forest reserve is being cleared, and has been degazetted 22 times since 1924.

Remains gazetted pending legal challenge

On Aug 11, the Shah Alam High Court ruled that the 406ha in contention will remain gazetted pending a hearing of a legal challenge against its degazettement.

The order issued by judge Shahnaz Sulaiman was granted pending the hearing of a judicial review leave application on Sept 28.

The Shah Alam Community Forest Society (SACF) and Khazanah Alam Malaysia (Peka) are seeking leave to commence the judicial review to overturn the degazettement.

The applicants claimed that the degazettement decision was obsolete as it was made 22 years ago.

They also claimed it was unlawful for the state government to backdate the gazette notification - issued on May 5 this year by the state Forestry Department - referring back to the state executive council’s decision made in 2000.

More than 1,000ha of the forest reserve is still intact.

They make up the Shah Alam Botanical Gardens and part of the water catchment area feeding the Tasik Subang dam.

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