OUTRAGED at claims she has been unsupportive of residents’ fight against over-development, Seputeh MP Teresa Kok is threatening legal action against the Protect Taman Desa Coalition.

Kok has accused three leaders of the coalition, Frank Yeh, Philip Phang and M. Gunasekar, of spreading “lies and falsehood and general disdain” for her and for “discrediting” her work for the Taman Desa Community.

The Seputeh lawmaker since 1999 said “untruthful and unsubstantiated allegations” were made on the Protect Taman Desa from Over-Development’ Facebook page.

“I note, with deep regret that the three coordinators of the Protect Taman Desa from Over-Development Facebook (page), for reasons best known to them, never seem to be happy with or appreciate all my efforts. 

“Sadly, it appears to be as if they have a personal agenda against me,” Kok said in a statement.

On Saturday, the coalition issued a statement on its Facebook page urging Kok to immediately call a town hall meeting to discuss overdevelopment in the housing estate. Kok had said she would hold such a meeting only after the Federal Territories minister was appointed.

Criticisms of her were posted accompanied by screenshots of WhatsApp chats between the MP and Yeh, the coalition chairman.

The screenshots showed Yeh telling Kok it was “unacceptable” for her to wait for the FT minister’s appointment to call for a meeting as the development was proceeding at a rapid pace. Yeh also claimed voters in the area were “not pleased with (her) inaction and disinterest in (their) plight”.

In response, Kok said she could not direct the Kuala Lumpur mayor to act in any manner as the mayor was “legally obliged to answer only to the Federal Territories minister”.

“Isn’t that too much for them (the coalition) to demand of me now? I feel powerless in the face of such bullying,” she said.

The DAP lawmaker also appears caught between two rival groups – the coalition and the Taman Desa Resident Association (TDRA), both fighting high-density development projects in the Kuala Lumpur suburb.

Kok said she had worked with the TDRA on a petition in November last year and they collected 2,400 signatures which were presented to the mayor in January.

She said Yeh, Phang and Gunasekar had refused to participate in the petition campaign.

“Worse still, they criticised (our) efforts, and they even discouraged the Taman Desa residents from participating in the campaign.

“I understand that they have spread a lot of falsehoods and hatred for me in various Taman Desa residents’ chat groups. I have never offended them in any way. Perhaps they are not happy that I worked more with TDRA, which they can’t get along with.”      

Kok said she was “compelled to issue a final warning” to Yeh, Phang and Gunasekar to “cease and desist from continuing their despicable acts”.

“I therefore reserve all my legal rights to commence legal proceedings in defamation, if necessary, to protect and preserve my reputation.”

The coalition has actively opposed development projects in Taman Desa, organising sit-in protests and filing reports urging the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission to investigate two ongoing projects.

It also backed a suit filed by 11 residents against City Hall for approving The Address, a development of three condominium blocks on Tenaga Nasional reserve land.

Altogether there are 13 projects, including high-density residential properties, that Taman Desa residents are fighting, citing traffic congestion and inadequate public infrastructure to support the new developments. – May 29, 2018.