YOUTH-BASED party Muda today questioned the timing of the Selangor government’s decision to scrap the controversial Petaling Jaya Dispersal (PJD) Link project.  

Welcoming the news of the cancellation of the proposed expressway, VKK Raja, the party’s candidate for Bukit Gasing, however, said caretaker menteri besar Amirudin Shari’s announcement was part of Selangor Pakatan Harapan’s election campaign.  

“The menteri besar said that the reason for cancellation of the project was after reading the environmental impact assessment and social impact assessment,” Raja said at a press conference in Petaling Jaya today.  

“Such a peculiar coincidence. 

“Let me remind everyone that these reports have been available to him and the Selangor state government for months.  

“They could have cancelled it a long time ago, but they didn’t. We suspect they did because there was pressure,” he added. 

Earlier today, Amirudin announced that the Selangor state government had scrapped the PJD Link project. 

He said the expressway project did not meet the conditions of the state government, in particular those in relation to the project’s social impact. 

The PJD Link is to be a 25.4km dual carriageway starting after the NKVE toll plaza on the SPRINT Highway in Damansara. It will end at the Bukit Jalil highway interchange.    

The project was planned to ease traffic congestion and cater for future growth in the Klang Valley. The PJD Link developer signed a concession agreement with the government on April 5, 2022. 

Raja credited the victory to the residents who had been opposing the project for years.  

He, however, reminded residents not to let their guard down despite the Selangor government’s announcement.  

“We have to be vigilant because let us not forget that the PJD Link is a rebranded version of Kinrara Damansara Expressway (Kidex). We have seen this drama before.  

“I call on everyone to keep up this pressure, especially with the election season.  

“I would like to take this opportunity to thank the ‘Say no to PJD Link’ volunteers for their hard work throughout the years. 

“If anything, this decision is a testament for a check and balance,” he said. 

In 2015, then-Selangor menteri besar Mohamed Azmin Ali announced that the government had rejected the controversial Kidex project, claiming the developer failed to meet terms set by the state government.  

Raja took the opportunity to urge voters in Bukit Gasing to vote for Muda, assuring them that the project would not be resuscitated. 

“Let us be your voice. We will be loud and consistent. 

“This is our (Muda) pledge. We will ensure that the project will not be revived.  

“A vote for Muda and Parti Sosialis Malaysia is a vote to ensure that this project will not be revived or rebranded,” he said. – July 31, 2023.