THE federal government has stated its disagreement with Selangor’s plan to degazette part of the Kuala Langat North forest reserve for mixed commercial development.

Energy and Natural Resources Minister Takiyuddin Hassan said the ministry as well as the departments and agencies under it expressed their disagreement early on during the initial stages of the proposal last year.

“In principle, the ministry and its departments and agencies have stated their disagreement to the degazettement… official objections were made known to the Selangor government in 2020,” he said in a statement today.

As the federal ministry has no jurisdiction over land matters, which are the purview of each state government, Takiyuddin said any development in the area should be done sustainably.

He proposed that a buffer zone be kept to separate the remaining forest reserve from areas to be developed and called for full compliance with the project’s Environmental Impact Assessment report.

He said the ministry took a serious view of the plan as it involves 536.7ha of the forest reserve, which is about half the entire reserve’s size.

The state government degazetted half the forest reserve in May but only revealed it to the public during the state legislative assembly meeting on August 30.

The news has shocked not only environmental groups and the public but also legislators from the Pakatan Harapan state government as the assembly had unanimously voted last November not to proceed with the degazettement.

More than 40,000 public objections have also been filed with the state government earlier to protest the project.

The state has been accused of lacking transparency while red flags have been raised over the developer, Gabungan Indah Sdn Bhd, which has only a paid-up capital of RM1 and whose ownership was just incorporated last December.

Selangor Menteri Besar Amirudin Shari has now agreed to postpone the degazettement plan, according to his party, PKR, following demands to give a full explanation on the matter. – September 2, 2021.