KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 2 — PKR communications director Fahmi Fadzil yesterday said that Selangor Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Amirudin Shari has promised to postpone the state’s controversial decision to degazette the Kuala Langat North Reserve Forest (KLNFR).

Fahmi said Amirudin and Selangor exco Hee Loy Sian — both PKR members — had explained to the party’s political bureau during a meeting last night that the decision will be postponed until all issues that have been raised is clarified.

"The PKR Political Bureau has stressed that decisions need to adhere to a number of basic principles including the importance of caring for the environment; transparent, open governance of the procurement process and evaluation; as well as the impact of KLNFR’s delisting on society at large that needs to be minimised.

"The Political Bureau is satisfied after receiving an assurance from the YAB Mentri Besar that he will postpone the process regarding the gazetting of KLNFR until the state government has completed its consideration and clarification on all issues that have been raised,” he said in a statement after the meeting ended.

Fahmi said that the meeting also raised the issue of the proposed construction of the Petaling Jaya Dispersal Link (PJD Link) which Amirudin had explained that it is a rebranding of the Kinrara-Damansara Expressway (Kidex) project, which is a federal government project that has yet to be approved by the state who owns the land.

"YAB Mentri Besar has also explained that the PJD Link should conduct a public consultation to obtain a comprehensive view on technical issues and social effects that may arise from this project.

"He assured that the state government has not given any approval regarding PJD Link, and that it must go through a public hearing process again with all stakeholders and should return to the state government for further processes,” he said.

On August 30, Hee told the Selangor legislative assembly that the state degazetted as much as 536.7 hectares of KLNFR for development under Section 12 of the National Forestry Act (Adoption) Enactment 1985 in the state executive council meeting last May 5 and validated in another meeting on May 19.

He said the land will be given to a private company, Gabungan Indah Sdn Bhd, for a mixed-commercial development.

On Tuesday, PKR president Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim said the party leadership had decided last year to cancel KLNFR’s degazettement.