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MPPJ was caught
hiding its plan to bulldoze the controversial SJKC Damansara: another
reason for the Third Vote campaign.
Media
Statement
by
Ronnie Liu Tian Khiew
(Petaling Jaya,
Thursday):MPPJ,
the local town council for Petaling Jaya once again put up six amendments to
the Petaling Jaya Local Plan 1 (1997-2010) quietly on 3 May 2005 without any
public announcement.
As one of the six local government
agencies chosen for the Local Agenda 21 in the country, MPPJ has shamelessly
tried to bulldoze its local plan without informing the residents affected by
the amendments.
This is another reason why Malaysians
should support the Restoration of Local Government Elections campaign
launched by the DAP since March 1 this year.
One of the biggest victims this round
was the Damansara New Village residents. The controversial original SJKC
Damansara was apparently re-classified as "residential area with a high
density" together with the adjacent plot of land originally earmarked for
commercial use (next to Damansara Intan).
With the approval of the amendment,
SJKC Damansara which has been forced to close down by the Government in 2001
will be torn down to give way to condominiums.
The turn of event has proven the
so-called DAP's conspiracy theory correct. MCA leaders who have accused the
DAP on the matter must now apologize to our party.
The Damansara people who wish to
preserve their school has only one month (i.e. until 3 June) to submit their
objections.
In 2003, I have described the
Rancangan Tempatan Petaling Jaya 1 (1997-2010) which was gazetted on 18
March 2003 as "master plan short of mastery".
The master plan started on a wrong
footing. It was done without consultation with the residents in the first
place, and the views and suggestions highlighted during public briefings and
subsequent hearings were either ignored or taken lightly. The entire process
of drafting and approving of the master plan did not reflect the spirit of
Local Agenda 21 subscribed by the MPPJ.
The first draft was out in April last
year without much publicity. The price of RM150 per copy was exorbitant,
prohibitive and simply ridiculous. The MPPJ did not bother to upload the
draft plan in its website. The public briefings were done in haste and some
of the complainants who submitted their protests were not even called to
attend hearing by the MPPJ. And the next thing we learned, it was gazetted
without second hearing with the complainants as promised. And once again,
the MPPJ did not bother to upload the gazetted plan in its website, and one
has to purchase the report at RM 100 per copy. In short, there was no
professionalism, transparency and democracy.
Another group of disappointed people
must have come from Sungei Way. In 2002, they were told to leave their homes
and make way for a housing project on one hand, and the draft master plan
published at about the same time stated that their plot of land will be
turned into a light industrial area on the other hand. They were later told
by the MCA big wigs like Ong Ka Ting, Ch'ng Toh Eng and Chew Mei Fun that
they may be getting titles in their names. But the gazetted plan has
shattered their dreams; their land has been earmarked as light industrial
zone.
Sad to note, none of the big wigs has
given any explanation to the effected people as of today. The only thing we
heard was that the PJ Utara MP Chew Mei Fun has decided to wash her hands on
the matter. She has told the affected villagers to seek help for Donald Lim
as the area concerned was now delineated to PJ Selatan constituency. Such
behavior has upset the PJ Selatan MP, who holds the view that Chew should
help the villagers as promised instead of passing the "hot potatoes" to him.
Besides, Petaling Jaya has fast
becoming a billboard town. MPPJ councilors do not think that they
were accountable to the PJ residents. They just do whatever they want to do
without consulting the PJ residents on the matter.
Restoration of the third vote would
help rekindle the hope for the local people to have more say in determining
the quality of life for themselves. Councilors elected by the people could
then participate in all decision-making processes in the interest of the
people.
(26/5/2005)
* Ronnie Liu
Tian Khiew, DAP International Secretary and NGO bureau chief
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http://dapmalaysia.org