Media statement (2) by Lau Weng San in Petaling Jaya on Thursday, 23^rd September 2010:

Hit out without checking - Wong Koon Mun is making a mockery of himself!

MCA ADUN for Kuala Kubu Baru Wong Koon Mun commented on a statement I did not make regarding to the repair works done for blocks of low cost flats in Bukit Sentosa and Bukit Beruntung.

He was reportedly saying in today's Star Metro that,

'Kampung Tunku assemblyman Lau Weng San in his Facebook saying the Federal Government spent RM19mil for repairing roofs for 78 blocks of low-cost flats in Bukit Sentosa and RM1.5 million to repair its lifts.

'Wong pointed out the Federal Government only spent RM17.7 million to repair the roofs and there were no lifts at the low-cost flats.

"Lau should get his facts rights before accusing the Federal Government of doing such things, We will make a police report soon" said Wong."

I wish to clarify that I did not post anything related to the flats repair works in my Facebook account. All I did was to provide a copy of a written answer given to me by the State government in relation to low cost flat. I asked the Mentri Besar:

(1) Whether the state government is providing allocation to repair low cost flats of the poor people which suffer from damages after liability defect period as there are some units built with very poor quality?

(2) What are the programs from the state government to reserve low cost flats?

I have never mentioned anything about the damaged flats in Bukit Sentosa and Bukit Beruntung. This question is asked simply because I have such flats in my constituency and I want to know if there is any assistance from the state government.

Secondly, the document I gave to the press are all the written replies I received from the State government and not my personal press statement. The press will have to choose and publish.

Thirdly, Selangor state government has never hijacked the contributions from the Federal government. In the reply, the state government has never promised to allocate RM15 million for lifts maintenance jobs for flats in the two areas. I have also never mentioned about the state government allocating RM19.11 million to repair damages in 78 blocks of low cost flats in the two areas.

In fact, the state government has in its reply clarified that that it never provides any allocation to repair damaged low cost flats after liability defection period. According to the 1985 Starta Title Act, strata development including low cost flat are classified as private development and all maintenance and repair works are the responsibilities of the management corporation, joint management body, the house-buyers and any agents appointed by the Commissioner of Buildings (CoBs).

The state government only allocated RM396,192 in 2009 out of goodwill to conduct a detailed study on the damaged roof-tops of low cost flats in Bukit Beruntung and Bukit Sentosa. The Selangor Public Works Ddepartment (PWD) then followed up by putting up an estimation of RM19.11 million to repair the damaged roof-tops of all the 78 blocks of low cost flats in the two areas.

In 2010, the state government first allocated RM500,000 to repair damaged roof-tops. Since the Federal government then announced to allocate some RM15 million for the repair works, the state government later withdrawn the allocation.

But the state government never stops there. In return, the state government launches a RM1 million grant to repair lifts in all low cost flats in Selangor.

It is very clear that from the written reply provided that the state government does not hijack contributions from the Federal government. Therefore I feel rather confused when Wong Koon Mun accused me of lying to the people by saying that the state government allocated funds to repair lifts of the low cost flats in Bukit Beruntung and Bukit Sentosa when there is no lift at all.

I also wish to clarify that I have never said that the state government allocated RM1.5 million to repair damaged flats. Perhaps it will be good if Wong Koon Mun can produce evidence to prove it.

I hope Wong Koon Mun in future can doubly or triply check and verify his statement before he throws any baseless allegations to me. Else he is making a mockery of himself and his party by becoming the first icon of irrelevance in MCA Selangor.

* Lau Weng San, SA for Kampung Tunku