C4 questions S'gor govt's intentions behind 'unfulfilling' public hearing

Summary

• The Centre to Combat Corruption and Cronyism (C4) slams the Selangor state government for restricting public input during yesterday's inquiry-gathering session for the state's draft structure plan 2035.

• C4 also denounces the administration’s move to bar media from attending the hearing.

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The Center to Combat Corruption and Cronyism (C4) slammed the Selangor state government for failing to comprehend its responsibility to facilitate public access to information and participation in policy development.

This comes after Malaysiakini yesterday reported that a public inquiry on the Selangor Draft Structure Plan 2035 courted backlash from the Rawang Tolak Insinerator Network (RTI) over, among others, a lack of adequate response from government agencies’ representatives.

Calling on the state government to accept and fully consider public concerns on the potential impact of the incinerator in Batu Arang, Rawang, C4 said RTI’s criticism of the public hearing illustrates a fundamental flaw in the government’s access to information framework.

“We would like to ask the Selangor state government: what is the goal of holding these sorts of public hearings?

“Is it to collect meaningful feedback to shape public policy, or is this merely a formality done for the sake of ticking boxes?” C4 asked in a statement today.

“By prohibiting media coverage and limiting the number of speakers, the state government is indicating that it does not want to receive honest feedback from the public, in contravention of the public’s right to information and participation in government processes.”

Yesterday, RTI spokesperson Abdul Hanan Abd Mokti claimed that while about 80 individuals had attended the session yesterday, only six were given the floor to deliver their comments and concerns.

Several others were denied their chance to speak, with no reasoning provided for the rejection during the approximately one-hour long session chaired by state Housing and Culture executive council member Borhan Aman Shah.

The media was barred from the public hearing, with Borhan allegedly telling attendees that the ban was due to concerns of "manipulation".

Heed public concerns

On that note, C4 said while the Town and Country Planning Act 1976 does not extensively detail how public hearings or local inquiries should be held, the state government should recognise the importance of ensuring a broad range of public opinion is collated.

Urging the state administration to take proactive steps to ensure as many voices as possible are heard, C4 cautioned that such a lack of transparency could present risks of abuse of power and misconduct.

Such misdeeds, it added, could compromise decision-making in planning matters and potentially cause the state to plan its priorities based solely on economic benefits without considering the social and environmental protections.

“The state government’s response remains inadequate to this day, as (RTI) has reported that the administration has been evading the community’s enquiries regarding the progress of the incinerator’s development.

“This is the kind of public interest issue that the public should be empowered to speak up about, and yet the state government does not seem to recognise this fact,” C4 said.

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