Bukit Cahaya: Time for Selangor circus to go
JTBPublished: Mar 8, 2005 6:54 AM | Updated: Jan 29, 2008 10:21 AM
As a Malaysian, I feel extremely sad the wanton destruction of the Bukit Cahaya Seri Alam Agricultural Park. We read in the papers that some of the developers responsible for this will now be charged under the Shah Alam City Council Earthworks 1990 bylaw.
The fact is the fines under this legislation are so insignificant that they have absolutely no deterrent effect whatsoever on developers or contractors.
In Malaysia, unless you are an illegal squatter or a thief, you will not have the gumption or the guts to go into a gazetted park to cut down trees indiscriminately. You do that and the Shah Alam enforcement agencies will come down on you like a ton of bricks.
Just ask those who stay in Shah Alam - an unapproved extension to their house and you will have to deal with officers coming over pronto asking you to tear it down. Either that or you 'settle' the matter quietly.
Yes sir, them Shah Alam enforcement units are sharp and quick on the draw and boy, do they know their building laws and bylaws!
The foremost question now at the top of our minds is where did these enforcement units go wrong as far as Bukit Cahaya Seri Alam is concerned? All of us know that this type of wanton destruction cannot possibly happen without the connivance and conspiracy from someone very big at the top.
The Selangor menteri besar - coming back in haste from overseas - consulted his high ranking council boys and argued that everything was okay. Not only that, he claims that the agricultural park's area is now even bigger when compared to the time he became the MB!
For the federal government to almost immediately wrest control of the management of the park speaks volumes of what it thinks of the opinion of the Selangor menteri besar.
The Selangor state government passing the buck to the errant developers and threatening to haul them to court is all an eye wash and a big charade - a measly RM2,000 maximum fine for the amount of destruction they have caused.
The Selangor menteri besar and his team of high-ranking council members should by now know that their fate is already written on the wall. The whole circus must just go.
The fact is the fines under this legislation are so insignificant that they have absolutely no deterrent effect whatsoever on developers or contractors.
In Malaysia, unless you are an illegal squatter or a thief, you will not have the gumption or the guts to go into a gazetted park to cut down trees indiscriminately. You do that and the Shah Alam enforcement agencies will come down on you like a ton of bricks.
Just ask those who stay in Shah Alam - an unapproved extension to their house and you will have to deal with officers coming over pronto asking you to tear it down. Either that or you 'settle' the matter quietly.
Yes sir, them Shah Alam enforcement units are sharp and quick on the draw and boy, do they know their building laws and bylaws!
The foremost question now at the top of our minds is where did these enforcement units go wrong as far as Bukit Cahaya Seri Alam is concerned? All of us know that this type of wanton destruction cannot possibly happen without the connivance and conspiracy from someone very big at the top.
The Selangor menteri besar - coming back in haste from overseas - consulted his high ranking council boys and argued that everything was okay. Not only that, he claims that the agricultural park's area is now even bigger when compared to the time he became the MB!
For the federal government to almost immediately wrest control of the management of the park speaks volumes of what it thinks of the opinion of the Selangor menteri besar.
The Selangor state government passing the buck to the errant developers and threatening to haul them to court is all an eye wash and a big charade - a measly RM2,000 maximum fine for the amount of destruction they have caused.
The Selangor menteri besar and his team of high-ranking council members should by now know that their fate is already written on the wall. The whole circus must just go.
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