Will
the 35-year-old Puspahanas project ever be implemented?
Media
Statement
by Dr Tan
Seng Giaw
(Petaling Jaya ,
Friday):
DAP National Deputy Chairman and MP for
Kepong Dr Tan Seng Giaw urges the Government to implement the National
Defence Education Centre (Puspahanas) project that is estimated to
cost nearly Rm100 million.
Let us not simply relocate the project from near the Templer Park,
Rawang, to Putrajaya. Doing so will mean cancelling the agreement and
terrible implications.
Recently, Dr Tan receives public complaint that the Defence Ministry
has put up signboards on the Puspahanas project adjacent to the
Templer Park with hardly any work done in over a year. The project
consists of two military colleges.
On 20 July, 2006, the Secretary-General of the Defence Ministry Datuk
Ahmad Latiff Hashim led his senior officers to explain to the Public
Accounts Committee in Parliament about the Puspahanas project. This
centre is for two military colleges, namely, the National Defence
College (MPN) and the Armed Forces Administration and Senior Officers'
College (MPTAT). The former is for officers above Colonel and
Brigadier General on the grand military and the latter is to train
majors and leftenant Colonels on military strategy and operation. The
students include foreign military officers and senior civil servants.
The two colleges are in the old buildings of Mindef in Kuala Lumpur.
The concept of new Puspahanas buildings was conceived in 1971. The
following year, the Armed Forces Council passed the resolution to site
these buildings in an area of 221.365 acres, near the Templer Park.
Basically, several private individuals owned the land which is not a
forest reserve. It is in natural surroundings with captivating views.
From 1972 to 1985, the Government proceeded with the land
acquisitions. In 1980, the Armed Forces Conference approved the
project. In 1993, the Armed Forces Defence College Board decided to
privatize it. In 1996, the Defence Ministry applied to the Economic
Planning Unit in the Prime Minister's Department for the
privatization.
In 1997, the Cabinet approved on principle the privatization of the
Puspahanas project by Syarikat Awan Megah Sdn Bhd and, in return, 223
acres of government land in Bukit Raja, Klang, was transferred to the
company for commercial development. In the same year, regional
economic crisis affected the company which faced problems such as in
drawing up the project plan and the Kuala Lumpur-Rawang highway was
meant to go through the same land. By 2002, these problems were
overcome. Then, the Defence Ministry estimated the cost of the project
as RM85,946,850.96, whereas the contractor calculated as
RM117,578,761.81. After several dicussions and counter proposals, the
Government signed agreement on the project with the contractor on 14
march, 2005, at RM99,366,280, to be completed in 36 months.
Meanwhile, the company faces obstacles such as the Environment
Department imposing mitigating conditions on the Environment Impact
Assessment (EIA) report as the project is on category 3 & 4 slope. The
Selayang Municipality has yet to issue the Development Order (D.O.).
As the contractor is waiting for the D.O., the Defence Ministry has a
new proposal to transfer the project from the present site to
Putrajaya where it has a 40-acre land. After 35 years, the propject is
on the verge of being implemented, the relocation will have serious
implications including compensation for the contractor and further
delay.
(21/07/2006)
*
Dr Tan Seng Giaw, DAP National Deputy Chairman and MP for
Kepong
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