DECEMBER 22 — We refer to Bukit Gasing assemblymen R.Rajiv’s remark on 17 December 2014 and Selangor Menteri Besar Azmin Ali on 18 December 2014.
The word tinjaun has a few meanings in English such as observe, view, survey or watch.
The Menteri Besar of Selangor Azman Ali in referring to the recently released Laporan Tinjauan Rancangan Pelan Struktur Selangor has been reassuring the highway critics that the latest publicity is merely a “Laporan Tinjaun”; it is not a draft yet, let alone approval. In other words, he is downplaying the significance of this report and exercise but the highway critics were already firing salvos after salvos.
But why are many highway critics eg of KIDEX and DASH were riled by this report in the first place when only one page of the Laporan Tinjaun features information of the five highways?
My take would be that Government exercises are usually extensive and documents produced are rarely just for show; they are there as pre-requisites for legal reasons in the timeline of their intended highways plan. While Bukit Gasing YB Rajiv was right to point out that the highways were there because LLM proposed, I reckon the highways were there NOT only because LLM proposed.
The State Director in accepting LLM’s proposal(s) would need to specifically fulfil the requirements under Section 7 of the Town and Country Planning 1976 to enable the Laporan Tinjaun to be legally binding and fit to be presented to MTES for approval and thereafter publicity to the general public. Nowhere in the Section 7 of the Act says that development plans can be inserted just because one party proposed.
So what else are required for proposals to be included? These proposals would need to go through rigorous surveys and reviews that covers very importantly among others; the technical aspects; possibly the Traffic Impact Assessment and Environmental Impact Assessment to name a few. Based on the Preparation Process timeline of this structure plan, this would be the Technical Report required.
Adding salt to the wound, the Ketua Pengarah Lembaga Lebuhraya Malaysia (LLM) Dato’ lr Hj. Ismail replied on 19 December 2014 to a Twitter question regarding the exclusion of the East Klang Valley Expressway (EKVE) in the Laporan Tinjauan by saying the EKVE has been gazetted under the Selangor Structure Plan 2020 and surprisingly; is in the actual draft of the Rancangan Pelan Struktur Selangor 2035. This is extremely odd given that the Laporan Tinjauan has just been released for public feedback yet LLM already knows the content of the draft?
Given the considerations above, the highway critics could not be faulted for their concerns and criticism of the Laporan Tinjauan or even the of the State Government. If the State Government is really sincere in engaging the public for feedbacks, it takes more than just publishing a report and ask the public to “bantah” if they don’t want it. Downplaying its significance based solely on the title of report does not help either. They should also realise in the eyes of the Rakyat, what they have done so far were just basically pointing towards the State gGvernment paving the ways for these highways to be built; against all odds.
Alvin Chin
Resident, Damansara Perdana
* This is the personal opinion of the writer or organisation and does not necessarily represent the views of Malay Mail Online.
