13 January 2022

Press statement by MCA Selangor State Liaison Committee Chairman Dato’ Ng Chok Sin

Destroying forest reserves for commercial interests? Selangor Pakatan state govt neglects environment conservation


he Pakatan Selangor state government must be taken to task for once again developing its forest reserve in subterfuge -  a move which destroys the environment for commercial interests thereby sacrificing the well-being of Selangor residents and future generations.

Unfortunately, the Pakatan Selangor state government has completely failed to learn lessons from the massive floods which submerged portions of Shah Alam. For the sake of commercial profit, it continued to sell and developed the last few remaining forest reserves in Selangor, thereby annihilating the quality of life of Selangor residents and its future generations.

The yearend immense floods in 2021 were a counter-reaction against the Pakatan Selangor state government’s destruction of the environment. However, Selangor residents formed the bulk of the ultimate victims.

Since Pakatan began helming the Selangor state government, more and more precious green lungs have been lost to deforestation. For example, the gazettement of the Kuala Langat North Forest Reserve was revoked by the state government, development of the Klang Gates Quartz Ridge and Bukit Tabur, and now, the Bukit Cherakah forest reserve and the Shah Alam community forest areas have been identified as a mixed development by the local government.

As the ruling government of Selangor, the Pakatan state administration has not only failed to preserve the state’s environment. On the contrary, it aggressively allowed development, thereby sacrificing its forest reserves for the interests of businesses and developers.

We are saddened that the Selangor state government did not take environmental conservation seriously at all. Whenever the state administration was exposed as developing forest reserves, senior Pakatan officials would often pin blame on the previous BN state government.

When questioned by NGOs on the proposed development, Environment, Green Technology, Tourism and Indigenous Affairs Exco Hee Loy Sian blamed the previous BN state government despite the 99-year lease for the land being given to a company in August 2020 by the Pakatan state government. This shirking of responsibility is an attempt to mask Pakatan’s incompetence despite being in state power for more than 10 years.

Selangor Menteri Besar Dato’ Seri Amirudin Shari must face up to the problem and solve it. He must not run away from responsibility. As coalition partners in the Selangor state administration, DAP elected representatives should not retain elegant silence, but must stand up and voice your objections against hill-clearing projects in Selangor. With the mandate entrusted into DAP, voters do not want the Rocket to sleep in government.

Dato’ Ng Chok Sin
MCA Selangor State Liaison Committee Chairman

-MCA Online-