TAMAN Tun Dr Ismail residents want to brief Federal Territories Minister Annuar Musa about the controversial Taman Rimba project, said residents’ association chairman Abdul Hafiz Abu Bakar.

According to Hafiz, it would be best for Annuar to meet them in their neighbourhood.

He said the minister could have been misinformed about the project.

“He (Annuar) said the project will not touch any trees in the area. We want him to come down to TTDI so we can explain where the project is and brief him better,” he told The Malaysian Insight.

Earlier, Annuar said that he asked the Taman Tun Dr Ismail Residents’ Association (TTDIRA) and Segambut MP Hannah Yeoh to meet him today, but they had asked to postpone it.

Hafiz said the meeting was called at short notice and most of the committee members were not available.

“We got a call yesterday afternoon from his principal secretary asking us to come for a meeting at Putrajaya Corporation today.

“We don’t want to travel because of the movement control order and don’t want to open ourselves to more problems.”

He said they would like to meet Annuar once the MCO is lifted.

“We would like to meet with and take the opportunity to brief him about the issues.”

Yeoh also said she will meet with Annuar after the MCO.

“We can meet after MCO and it’s not convenient for residents now.

“Actually, I don’t quite understand why ministers don’t see the importance of the MCO,” she told The Malaysian Insight.

Yesterday, the TTDIRA said Annuar’s statement on the continuing Taman Rimba Kiara development is sub judice because the matter is still before the Court of Appeal.

The TTDIRA, under Save Taman Rimba, is appealing against a lower court’s dismissal of its application for a judicial review to challenge the approval given to the development.

Annuar, however, dismissed their claims and said he only talked about the welfare of TTDI longhouse residents at a recent meeting and not about the Taman Rimba project.

Annuar said he was only reiterating a promise by the Federal Territories Foundation commitment to provide a permanent house to the residents who had been living there for a long time.

“Certain people had said wanting to give homes to the people (longhouse residents) was sub judice.

“Sub judice is when we dispute the merit of a case or subject matter ongoing in court.

“Trying to influence the court’s decision is sub judice, but I didn’t do that.

“I understand sub judice,” he said.

The project, which comprises nine apartment blocks, is a venture between Yayasan Wilayah Persekutuan (YWP) and Memang Perkasa Sdn Bhd, a subsidiary of developer Malton Bhd.

Kuala Lumpur City Hall approved the joint venture in 2014, when Barisan Nasional’s Tengku Adnan Tengku Mansor was Federal Territories minister.

TTDI residents said the project will destroy 10ha of one of Kuala Lumpur’s last green lungs.

Under the previous Pakatan Harapan administration, Federal Territories minister Khalid Abdul Samad pitched a scaled-down project comprising four blocks of serviced apartments and 204 units of affordable housing, but this was rejected by Save Taman Rimba.

In February, lawyer Cecil Abraham, representing Malton and YWP, told the Court of Appeal that TTDI residents have no legal standing to object to the project. – April 13, 2020.