My name is KJ John. I have lived in SS1 since 1986. I have paid my local taxes for the same period. Before I bought the house, I visited then MPPJ (Town Council) president Abdullah Satar and asked about the green lung behind my house. He promised that it will be a green lung as long as it shows green on every map of Petaling Jaya.

Last week, I attended a formal hearing of the now city council, MBPJ, for the Draft Structure Plan 3. It was chaired by the local government exco of the Selangor state government. It is incidental that the same person was elected as the head of PKR’s Wanita wing over the weekend.

I congratulated MBPJ for making Petaling Jaya the only city in Malaysia which abides by the rule of law under Act 172 of the constitution. Even the older brother, KL City Hall, has not shown such accountability and the former federal territories minister has been condemned for ignoring their draft structure plan and due process in holding hearings.

The former minister then approved more than a 100 development orders without all the requisite due legal processes.

MBPJ’s embedded corruption

My presentation to the MBPJ Hearing Committee highlighted what could be morally called abuse of power and embedded corruption at the land office within the Selangor state government.

Sadly, I went before the older SLECAT to make the same complaint, but it was ignored by the then-state exco of Selangor.

I then stopped paying my assessment until MBPJ gave me answers to my valid questions. That was in 2015. Then on February 21, 2018, MBPJ officials came to take physical action to recover assets from me, for non-payment of assessments.

My core question to MBPJ and its Council, as the legal authority, is why were my legitimate rights as a citizen and resident of Kampung Tunku for more than 30 years not preserved or protected as per the provisions of the Act 172 in the following areas?

The Kawasan Lapang denoted as green spaces between SS1/29 and SS1/31 and SS1/5 was an original space of 2.5 acres (about 1ha) of land, which has been reduced to below 0.8ha today.

My objection and questions are:
a. Who is responsible for the green lung ownership and handover to the local authorities for “gazetting of the green spaces”?
b. Who were these original developers and why are green lungs not handed over for gazetting according to Act 172?
c. How can we make right what is wrong, even if after 33 years of violation and abuse of the laws of this nation? and,
d. Who is the exco member who approved and authorised the change of status of all these green lungs?

Other green lungs that have been violated are:
1. Green lung between SS1/31 and SS1/39A. Who now holds the title for the land and who authorised and financed the development of a mosque, as I am aware this was also “a corruption complaint which was never investigated?”
2. Green lung at the end of SS1/39 on the right of Taman Paramount which is now marked for development. Who authorised its development?
3. Green lung at the end of SS1/39 on the left of Taman Paramount which has been developed for 22 three-storey terrace buildings. How was this stolen and who are the thieves and what were the corrupt means to undertake this development order which stole public land under a transport-oriented development storyline?
4. Green lung on SS1/41 was “reclassified and approved for a three-storey building.” Who was responsible for this and how can the neighbours be compensated for the loss of their green lung and view?
5. Green lung and playground facing the school compound on SS1/22 and SS1/39. It is now re-classified as a “development land.” Who is the owner and is this same owner (developer) responsible for the theft of other similar cases? Was corruption involved in the theft of these green spaces? How else can separate land tiles be issued for each of these cases? and
6. Land at the end of SS1/25 is still demarcated as “road land” but there is no road there. Who authorised this re-classification and was corruption involved in this case? Where is the road and why is SS1/25 currently not connected to SS1/29?

I wish to put on record my thanks and congratulations to the new exco member for local government in Selangor and to put on record that all the former exco members have failed MBPJ residents.

Unless we get rid of bribery and corruption which is at the root of all local governance problems, the Pakatan Harapan government will not do any better than the old one. – November 24, 2018.

* KJ John reads The Malaysian Insight.