Teresa clarifies statement, says not opposing Suria Madani project

Seputeh MP Teresa Kok has clarified that she is not opposing the Residensi Suria Madani project in her constituency after Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim lambasted residents who raised their concerns about the housing development.

She said she is not one of the “elites” mentioned by Anwar and merely wanted the government to first upgrade the existing local community’s infrastructure before constructing new housing projects.

The DAP lawmaker also explained that she attended the project’s groundbreaking ceremony yesterday to deliver the residents’ petition and memorandum to Anwar.

“If I don’t attend, how will I pass the residents’ memorandum and my petition to the prime minister?

“If I don’t attend, I will be seen as opposing the Madani housing project like the ‘elites’ in Taman Desa (mentioned in the prime minister’s speech),” Kok (above, far right) told Malaysiakini.

She said she has done her part as the local MP by voicing the residents’ concerns, but now it is their turn to speak for themselves.

“It is time for the people to speak up since they are being whacked by the prime minister. I have done my part as a wakil rakyat (people’s representative),” she said.

She also told Malaysiakini that she was invited by the developer Mah Sing Group to attend the groundbreaking ceremony at the project site in Taman Desa yesterday.

In the petition she handed to Anwar yesterday, Kok welcomed the premier’s visit to Taman Desa and the government’s initiative to develop more Madani housing projects to meet the needs of young people and low-income earners.

However, she emphasised that the infrastructure in Taman Desa and other Madani housing project locations needs to be upgraded to accommodate the increased population.

Upgrades needed to meet swelling population

Citing Taman Desa as an example, she said in her petition that the Madani housing project is expected to increase the local population to 69,255 in the coming years.

Based on the Town and Country Planning Department’s estimates, she believes the authorities need to respond by building more schools, government clinics, police stations, and community centres.

Kok also said that Taman Desa has become an overcrowded “concrete jungle” due to the excessive number of construction projects.

“Despite repeated requests from me and the residents’ association, many roads remain unpaved, and the drains and parks have not been upgraded.

“I also urge the government to build a bridge that allows residents of Madani housing to cycle or walk to the Kuchai Lama MRT station so that the residents of Taman Desa can use public transport,” she wrote to the prime minister.

Last Saturday, Kok also issued a statement urging the government to halt high-density developments near flood retention ponds and review existing projects near the retention pond in Kampung Bohol and Taman Desa.

“If the Kuala Lumpur City Hall continues to approve high-density development projects without enlarging drainage and deepening rivers in Kuala Lumpur, then we will see flash floods occur more often in the future,” she warned.

Ignoring the ‘elites’

At yesterday’s groundbreaking ceremony, however, Anwar said that the government would continue to cater to the needs of the middle- and lower-income groups, and ignore objections of the “elites”, including those opposing the project.

He reiterated today that the government would disregard the objections from the locals living in “luxury housing”, warning that otherwise, the community would face extreme income disparity.

The prime minister also reminded the residents that Taman Desa was originally a rural area and the land there was purchased at low prices.

Anwar launched the Madani housing programme in June last year.

Under this scheme, each apartment unit is priced at RM200,000. Applicants must be Malaysian citizens aged at least 18 years old, who have never purchased a home, and have a monthly household income not exceeding RM5,000.

Currently, projects open for application include Madani Sentral in Putrajaya, and Suria Madani in Taman Desa, which broke ground yesterday. Another six Madani housing projects in Putrajaya have yet to open for applications.

According to the Madani housing project’s website, priority will be given to applicants who are born, employed, or residing in the Federal Territories.

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