Shareholders mum on dam project
R. MageswariPublished: Apr 11, 2001 5:07 AM | Updated: Jan 29, 2008 6:21 PM
Efforts to raise questions on the social and environmental impacts of the Sungai Selangor dam project among shareholders of Gamuda, the company commissioned to build the dam, has proven to be futile, a spokesperson for Save Our Sungai Selangor (SOS) told malaysiakini today. SOS activist Dr Kua Kia Soong, who attended Gamuda's annual general meeting yesterday as a shareholder proxy, said the company's managing director Lin Yuan Ling tried to prevent him from speaking and refused to give proper answers to issues raised.
"Lin tried to shut me up and failed to give me any proper answers," Kua said, adding that there was also no reaction from the shareholders who were at the meeting.
Gamuda has been commissioned to build the RM 2.15 billion dam in Kuala Kubu Baru together with Land and General and a Selangor state government subsidiary, Kumpulan Darul Ehsan.
Lin said yesterday that the company's involvement in the dam project would have significant long-term strategic benefits. English newspaper, New Straits Times reported that the commencement of the project has swelled Gamuda's order book by RM1.55 billion to RM2.4 billion.
In Monday's statement to the Kuala Lumpur Stock Exchange, Gamuda said the Economic Planning Unit of the Prime Minister's Department had "verbally confirmed" that the project had been approved by the Cabinet.
Following the confirmation of the dam project, stockbroking firm TA Securities had upgraded the company to a "strong buy" as the project would boost its share price by RM1.40 to RM 11.10.
The project had drawn strong criticism from NGOs and concerned citizens as a smaller dam built on the proposed site collapsed in 1883 killing 25 people.
A group comprising 30 members of SOS demonstrated yesterday outside the Kota Permai Golf and Country Resort where the AGM was held. The group, established to oppose the dam project, held banners, shouted anti-dam slogans and handed out leaflets to shareholders who were driving into the clubhouse to attend the meeting.[[#1]See photo[/#]]
The leaflets raised questions on measures that would be undertaken to secure financing for the controversial project and urged shareholders to shift their focus from short-term profits to the natural and cultural heritage that would be destroyed by the construction of the dam.
Apart from trying to rally public support to stall the construction, the SOS group had also requested the World Conservation Union to carry out an independent environment impact assessment and reached out to international NGOs such as International Rivers Network for support and solidarity.
Sonia Randhawa, media spokesperson for the group, told malaysiakini yesterday that they are concerned as the contract for environmental impact assessment was given to a component of Gamuda without an open competitive tender. She added that the emergency evacuation plan of the people living downstream of the Selangor river, in case of a dam failure, was not detailed in the EIA but was only mentioned in passing.
According to Randhawa, some of the ecological disasters like the collapse of the Highland Towers and the landslides in Bukit Antarabangsa and Pos Dipang in recent years, despite monitoring and enforcement of the EIA conditions by the Department of Environment and municipal councils, remains a cause for concern.
Randhawa said they hope to hold a meeting with the Science, Technology and Environment Minister Law Hieng Deng to urge him to stall the construction and are also looking at the possibility of filing a lawsuit against the consortium.
The project, expected to be completed by 2005, will involve the construction of ponds, pipelines linking treatment plants and ponds, and the levelling of the 8.7km Kuala Kubu Baru-Frasers Hill road. Land clearing activities had commenced at the site.
According to some observers, the Sungai Selangor dam project is shaping up to be the next battleground after the government decided to scale down the mammoth Bakun dam project in Sarawak. Some of the key activists in SOS, such as Kua, are veterans of the anti-Bakun dam campaign.
Part of the reason why Ekran, the company commissioned to build the Bakun Dam, was unable to proceed with the project was because it was unable to raise the RM13.8 billion from international investors after strong protests from environmental NGOs.
"Lin tried to shut me up and failed to give me any proper answers," Kua said, adding that there was also no reaction from the shareholders who were at the meeting.
Gamuda has been commissioned to build the RM 2.15 billion dam in Kuala Kubu Baru together with Land and General and a Selangor state government subsidiary, Kumpulan Darul Ehsan.
Lin said yesterday that the company's involvement in the dam project would have significant long-term strategic benefits. English newspaper, New Straits Times reported that the commencement of the project has swelled Gamuda's order book by RM1.55 billion to RM2.4 billion.
In Monday's statement to the Kuala Lumpur Stock Exchange, Gamuda said the Economic Planning Unit of the Prime Minister's Department had "verbally confirmed" that the project had been approved by the Cabinet.
Following the confirmation of the dam project, stockbroking firm TA Securities had upgraded the company to a "strong buy" as the project would boost its share price by RM1.40 to RM 11.10.
The project had drawn strong criticism from NGOs and concerned citizens as a smaller dam built on the proposed site collapsed in 1883 killing 25 people.
A group comprising 30 members of SOS demonstrated yesterday outside the Kota Permai Golf and Country Resort where the AGM was held. The group, established to oppose the dam project, held banners, shouted anti-dam slogans and handed out leaflets to shareholders who were driving into the clubhouse to attend the meeting.[[#1]See photo[/#]]
The leaflets raised questions on measures that would be undertaken to secure financing for the controversial project and urged shareholders to shift their focus from short-term profits to the natural and cultural heritage that would be destroyed by the construction of the dam.
Apart from trying to rally public support to stall the construction, the SOS group had also requested the World Conservation Union to carry out an independent environment impact assessment and reached out to international NGOs such as International Rivers Network for support and solidarity.
Sonia Randhawa, media spokesperson for the group, told malaysiakini yesterday that they are concerned as the contract for environmental impact assessment was given to a component of Gamuda without an open competitive tender. She added that the emergency evacuation plan of the people living downstream of the Selangor river, in case of a dam failure, was not detailed in the EIA but was only mentioned in passing.
According to Randhawa, some of the ecological disasters like the collapse of the Highland Towers and the landslides in Bukit Antarabangsa and Pos Dipang in recent years, despite monitoring and enforcement of the EIA conditions by the Department of Environment and municipal councils, remains a cause for concern.
Randhawa said they hope to hold a meeting with the Science, Technology and Environment Minister Law Hieng Deng to urge him to stall the construction and are also looking at the possibility of filing a lawsuit against the consortium.
The project, expected to be completed by 2005, will involve the construction of ponds, pipelines linking treatment plants and ponds, and the levelling of the 8.7km Kuala Kubu Baru-Frasers Hill road. Land clearing activities had commenced at the site.
According to some observers, the Sungai Selangor dam project is shaping up to be the next battleground after the government decided to scale down the mammoth Bakun dam project in Sarawak. Some of the key activists in SOS, such as Kua, are veterans of the anti-Bakun dam campaign.
Part of the reason why Ekran, the company commissioned to build the Bakun Dam, was unable to proceed with the project was because it was unable to raise the RM13.8 billion from international investors after strong protests from environmental NGOs.
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