From FMT:
Kiara park issue unresolved despite many meetings with Khalid, says Yeoh
by Soo Wern Jun
KUALA LUMPUR: Segambut MP Hannah Yeoh reiterated today that she has met the Federal Territories minister “many times” to try and resolve the dispute over the Taman Rimba Kiara development project but without success.
Yeoh rubbished a claim by Khalid Abdul Samad that she had continued to address the issue through the media instead of seeing him for answers.
She told a town hall session with Taman Tun Dr Ismail (TTDI) residents that there had been at least five meetings with the FT ministry before today’s event to clarify the status of the proposed development project, which is said to encroach into the park.
Yeoh was responding to Khalid’s comment that he was “very disappointed” with her for continuing to address the issue through the media instead of going directly to him for answers.
Khalid had reportedly said many of the statements were “confusing, hurtful and embarrassing” to him.
“In response to the public who have asked us to stop fighting openly (as colleagues) — saying why wash dirty linen in public — I have met the minister many times.
“But we have not been able to resolve the matter. Instead, the minister had made a call on his own to scale down the project,” Yeoh said.
She repeated her call that there should be no encroachment into the park and any development should be restricted to the 4.4 acres for the longhouses. “Anything outside of the 4.4 acres (longhouse land), is part of the park.”
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Segambut MP Hannah Yeoh at the town hall session with residents of Taman Tun Dr Ismail and its surrounding areas today |
KUALA LUMPUR: Segambut MP Hannah Yeoh reiterated today that she has met the Federal Territories minister “many times” to try and resolve the dispute over the Taman Rimba Kiara development project but without success.
Yeoh rubbished a claim by Khalid Abdul Samad that she had continued to address the issue through the media instead of seeing him for answers.
She told a town hall session with Taman Tun Dr Ismail (TTDI) residents that there had been at least five meetings with the FT ministry before today’s event to clarify the status of the proposed development project, which is said to encroach into the park.
Yeoh was responding to Khalid’s comment that he was “very disappointed” with her for continuing to address the issue through the media instead of going directly to him for answers.
Khalid had reportedly said many of the statements were “confusing, hurtful and embarrassing” to him.
“In response to the public who have asked us to stop fighting openly (as colleagues) — saying why wash dirty linen in public — I have met the minister many times.
“But we have not been able to resolve the matter. Instead, the minister had made a call on his own to scale down the project,” Yeoh said.
She repeated her call that there should be no encroachment into the park and any development should be restricted to the 4.4 acres for the longhouses. “Anything outside of the 4.4 acres (longhouse land), is part of the park.”
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A section of the participants, numbering some 450, at the town hall session |
“We’re talking about not encroaching into the park. It does not mean that you scale down the project.
“They said they will return some of the park. It’s like you rob a person’s house and give them back some of the stolen goods,” she told about 450 residents from TTDI and its surrounding areas.
Yeoh, who had previously been accused of having an “opposition mindset”, said many people felt the government must be pro-development and pro-business.
“There are many ways to be pro-development or pro-business. If you fight corruption, all businessmen will have a better future in Malaysia.
“I want to remind YWP (Yayasan Wilayah Persekutuan, the owner of the land) that I have 10 years’ experience being part of the state government of Selangor.
“We were not the opposition, we were part of the government. I have never been an opposition member.
“I have more experience in government than the FT minister,” she said.
Yeoh said the residents had been reasonable and were willing to compromise.
“Build within the 4.4 acres. If the government has no money to refund, we didn’t say ‘no’ … we proposed so many alternatives.
“I hope you are satisfied that I don’t have an opposition mindset. This is good governance mindset,” she said.
Yeoh said the residents had now come up with two proposals for Khalid’s Cabinet paper.
“One is to cancel the whole project, return the land to the government and have an open tender to build the proposed townhouses for the longhouse residents.
“The other is to return the park land to the government and allow the project to be built within the longhouse footprint and not encroach into the park
“We have even identified a location for temporary rehousing of the longhouse residents if the proposal for the townhouses is approved,” she said.
It was reported that Khalid had proposed to revise the project plan to include four blocks of 41- to 45-storey high-end serviced apartments (878 units) and a 17-storey block of 204 affordable housing units for the longhouse residents, comprising 1,082 units in total.
The original plan comprised eight blocks of 42- to 54-storey luxury condominiums (2,277 units) and a 29-storey block of 350 affordable housing units, totalling 2,627 units.
According to Khalid, the size of the proposed development has been reduced to 3.2ha from 4.85ha.
“They said they will return some of the park. It’s like you rob a person’s house and give them back some of the stolen goods,” she told about 450 residents from TTDI and its surrounding areas.
Yeoh, who had previously been accused of having an “opposition mindset”, said many people felt the government must be pro-development and pro-business.
“There are many ways to be pro-development or pro-business. If you fight corruption, all businessmen will have a better future in Malaysia.
“I want to remind YWP (Yayasan Wilayah Persekutuan, the owner of the land) that I have 10 years’ experience being part of the state government of Selangor.
“We were not the opposition, we were part of the government. I have never been an opposition member.
“I have more experience in government than the FT minister,” she said.
Yeoh said the residents had been reasonable and were willing to compromise.
“Build within the 4.4 acres. If the government has no money to refund, we didn’t say ‘no’ … we proposed so many alternatives.
“I hope you are satisfied that I don’t have an opposition mindset. This is good governance mindset,” she said.
Yeoh said the residents had now come up with two proposals for Khalid’s Cabinet paper.
“One is to cancel the whole project, return the land to the government and have an open tender to build the proposed townhouses for the longhouse residents.
“The other is to return the park land to the government and allow the project to be built within the longhouse footprint and not encroach into the park
“We have even identified a location for temporary rehousing of the longhouse residents if the proposal for the townhouses is approved,” she said.
It was reported that Khalid had proposed to revise the project plan to include four blocks of 41- to 45-storey high-end serviced apartments (878 units) and a 17-storey block of 204 affordable housing units for the longhouse residents, comprising 1,082 units in total.
The original plan comprised eight blocks of 42- to 54-storey luxury condominiums (2,277 units) and a 29-storey block of 350 affordable housing units, totalling 2,627 units.
According to Khalid, the size of the proposed development has been reduced to 3.2ha from 4.85ha.
Whatever the outcome of talks and more talks, can both parties agree to build first the houses for those staying in the longhouses who have been waiting and waiting for their promised houses for so many umpteen years?
ReplyDeleteAnd since Yayasan Wilayah Persekutuan was set up to help in the welfare of all those residing in the Federal Territories of KL, Labuan and Putrajaya, why don't they instead pay for the cost of all those houses?
Are those residents of longhouses not qualified under the umbrella of welfare of YWP?
How much monies YWP has all these past years since set up and where have all the monies in the millions gone to?
Was it actually a piggy bank under the FT Minister to be used as they like for political purpose previously?
Malton the developer is just being plain greedy. They are already developing the massive Pavilion 2 at Damansara Heights, just a stones throw from Taman Kiara. Now they want more, and more and more.....enough shopping malls and high end condos in KL lah.
ReplyDeleteLook at Pavilion 1 in Bukit Bintang (Rosmah’s favourite shopping place) where the iconic BBGS used to be. The argument for tearing down the school was the traffic congestion caused by the school. Right. Now with a shopping mall the traffic is worse....!!!!