THE government does not see a need to declassify the  Petaling Jaya Dispersal (PJD) Link concession agreement, Works Minister Alexander Nanta Linggi said.

He said there were various aspects to the agreement and there was no need to declassify the document at the moment.

“There are legal implications and other factors,” Nanta said today after attending the launch of the second phase of the Sungai Besi-Ulu Kelang Elevated Expressway .

The proposed 14.9km PJD Link project is aimed at dispersing traffic from Bandar Utama to Kinrara through the Petaling Jaya area.

It will also provide an alternative route for traffic along the Damansara-Puchong Expressway, which had already reached capacity traffic volume.

Nanta was responding to calls from lawmakers in the Petaling Jaya areas last week for the project’s concession agreement to be declassified.

The lawmakers said as the project affects the public, its agreement contract should be made publicly available.

PKR’s Subang MP Wong Chen said last week that if the government was not willing to declassify the agreement, it should allow the relevant select committee to find out what the terms were.

“The reply from the government was negative. I’d just like to say I am a bit disappointed with the answer,” he told a press conference in the Parliament lobby.

“I do understand that the sanctity of contract allows them to keep these clauses and terms secret, but I don’t think it is right in this new government that the idea of the OSA (Official Secrets Act) should be part of a concession agreement.”

PKR’s Selayang MP William Leong cited a precedent of when a toll concession was successfully declassified in 2008 by the then works minister.

“They are no longer classified as official secrets. We, therefore, urge this current government to follow the practice and do the same,” he said.

“These are public contracts. This PJD Link concession, as a public contract, should be designed for transparency and efficiency. Full disclosure should be the norm for public contracts.” – June 15, 2023.