SELAYANG MCA hit out at the state government for forcing them out of the Kampung Dato’ Lee Kim Sai hall that housed their branch office for 40 years without any discussion.

Its chairman, Datuk Goh Ah Ling, said the Kampung Dato’ Lee Kim Sai Federal Village Security and Development Committee (JKKKP) and Kampung Dato’ Lee Kim Sai MCA branch offices were located at the hall before they were asked to vacate.

“Even for squatters, the state would hold a discussion or pay compensation, or provide an alternative house or land when they take over.

“This is unfair. The state’s decision, I feel, is politically driven and not looking at the interest of the people.

“In fact, we hold daily events at the hall including karaoke sessions, Chinese medicinal services and lion dance sessions,” said Goh at a press conference at the Selayang MCA hall in Taman Jati, Rawang yesterday.

Also present were Selayang MCA Youth chief Chan Wun Hoong and Selayang MCA secretary Ryan Ng.

Goh added that efforts to meet Rawang assemblyman Gan Pei Nei was to no avail.

“We will visit Gan’s service centre in Taman Jati at 10.30am on Aug 2 with our committee members.

“We will offer two solutions. The first is, if the state wants to demolish the hall, it should compensate us with another piece of land for us to build our own hall.

“If the state does not agree on the first suggestion, we propose that the state demolish the hall with the new hall to be managed by the Kampung Dato’ Lee Kim Sai JKKKP, because the single-storey hall belongs to MC.

“Its members collected RM40,000 to build it in 1978,” said Goh.

The ownership of the community hall fell into dispute after the Selayang Municipal Council (MPS) gave a notice to MCA to remove its signboard on Oct 5 last year.

“So, we removed it. Last month, Gombak District New Village coordinator Chee Chu Sang said the state will demolish the hall as it was too old, and would build a one-and-a-half-storey hall,” said Loh.

He said the state would allocate RM390,000 to build the hall and have it gazetted as a community hall and as the security and development committee office of Kampung Dato’ Lee Kim Sai.

He added that work on the new hall should start in August and be completed by December.

Goh added that in 2003, MCA members were given the 5A form to apply for land title with a premium of RM19,000.

“Since the state had offered the MCA branch the 5A form, it (state government) can do it once again,” he added.

-The Star-