SELANGOR Menteri Besar Amirudin Shari will postpone the controversial degazettement plan on the Kuala Langat North Forest Reserve (KLNFR), said Fahmi Fadzil.

The PKR communications director said the plan will be held off until the state government had completed its consideration and clarification on the issues raised.

In a statement, Fahmi said that the PKR political bureau had received an assurance last night by Amirudin and state environment committee chairman Hee Loy Sian on the matter. 

He added that the political bureau stressed that decision on the forest reserve must adhere to basic principles such as environmental concerns, having transparent, open and good governance on the procurement process, as well as the impact on society at large. 

On Monday, the state announced its decision during the Selangor assembly session to degazette part of the forest reserve for mixed commercial development. 

The Selangor MB has since come under fire and urged to give a detailed explanation on the matter, including by his party president Anwar Ibrahim and civil society groups.

Aside from that, Fahmi said the meeting yesterday also discussed the proposed Petaling Jaya Dispersal Link (PJD Link) project. 

“The menteri besar has explained that the PJD Link is a federal project.  

“The state government is only involved in issues related to land approval,” Fahmi said.  

The political bureau was assured that the state government had not given any approval regarding PJD Link, and it will go through a public hearing process again with all stakeholders, he said.  

A week ago, Petaling Jaya residents questioned the Selangor government on the status of the project after project developers were given the approval to engage with residents.

“We had received assurances from former Selangor MB Mohamed Azmin Ali through Bukit Gasing assemblyman Rajiv Rishyakaran who said as long as Pakatan Harapan was administering the state, we won’t have to worry about the project,” Coalition Against PJD Link leader Sheikh Moqhtar Kadir said.  

The coalition had objected to the mega highway project since 2016. – September 2, 2021.