Will PJD Link resubmit their proposal for another similar highway? Attend this Zoom session to know more.

Speaker: Chakra Thillainathan (Practicing Lawyer & Chairman Of The Sustainable PJ Association)
Topic:  PJD Link Legal Action Explained
Time: Aug 20, 2023 | 8 PM Malaysia Time

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We wish to record our appreciation towards the Selangor Chief Minister’s recent statement that the State Government has rejected the PJD Link project.
 
Unfortunately, there are subsequent news reports where the Chief Minister has suggested that the project would be revived if certain “requirements” are met. There is however no elaboration on what these “requirements” are. With such an unclear caveat, we are concerned that there will be another attempt to introduce another similar version of the PJD Link soon. 
 
In light of these developments, we set forth 3 demands to both the Federal & Selangor State Government:
             
1. Give A Firm Commitment NOT To Entertain Any Similar Proposed Highway Projects in Petaling Jaya In The Future
 
The KIDEX & PJD Link saga indicates a tendency for developers to repackage & rebrand highways – which are substantially similar – under a different name. 
 
Whilst we recognize that Governments cannot categorically reject all infrastructure proposals for Petaling Jaya (and other parts of Klang Valley), they can give a commitment that any highway proposals which are similar in terms of alignment with KIDEX and PJD Link ought to be rejected from the outset. 
 
For PJD Link, despite the cancellation of KIDEX in 2015, the Federal Government gave an approval in principle (“kelulusan prinsip”) on 12.11.2017 for the PJD Link highway, subject to several conditions which were not disclosed to the public. Subsequently, on 3.9.2020, the Selangor State Government granted a policy approval (“kelulusan dasar”) for the PJD Link highway, subject to conditions which were again not made known to the public. On 5.4.2022, the developer then signed a Concession Agreement with the Federal Government, the terms which are shrouded in secrecy under the Official Secrets Act 1972 (“OSA”). 
 
All of these developments, which gave an impression that a mega highway was imminent, had triggered much anxiety and restlessness among the community. We have had no choice but to organize protests, surveys, townhalls and campaigns for the past 4 years to oppose the idea of the project, which has taken up substantial time, money and effort.
 
The residents of Petaling Jaya do not wish to experience such an episode again. Now that it is clear that the overwhelming majority of residents do not wish for such a highway be built, both the Federal & State Governments should reject any similar proposals from the outset and not grant any “approvals” (be it conditional or otherwise), which would unnecessarily drag the community through such an ordeal again. 

2. Immediately Declassify the Concession Agreement dated 5.4.2022 As An “Official Secret” Under the OSA  
Let this be clear: highway projects have nothing to do with national security, and should never be hidden from the public under the OSA. There must be full transparency on the terms agreed to by the developer and government, because it invariably involves taxpayers’ money and will impact the public.
 
We have been clear from day one that the SayNoToPJDLink movement was not born to merely oppose PJD Link specifically, but is part of a larger battle to demand greater transparency & accountability in multi-billion public infrastructure projects which involve private developers. Otherwise, other similarly harmful mega-projects will continue to emerge in other forms and the people are forced to mobilise again and again. This cycle of secrecy, opacity & undisclosed public-private dealings must stop.  

3. Immediately Disclose To The Public the EIA, TIA & SIA Reports, and the “Requirements” the Selangor State Government Has Imposed To Greenlight A Highway In Petaling Jaya
 
The residents of Petaling Jaya deserve to know the contents of the EIA, TIA & SIA. If these reports indicate a negative implication of a mega highway like PJD Link on the environment, traffic and social lives of residents, then it is an important resource for us to assess any similar highway proposals in the same vicinity which may arise in the future. 
 
We also deserve to know the “requirements” set forth by the State Government to approve a highway project in Petaling Jaya, which the Selangor Chief Minister is referring to in news reports. What conditions and thresholds is he referring to? We need to know what yardsticks are used by the State Government, and assess whether they adequately protect public & environmental interests. 
 
Conclusion
 
Unless these 3 demands are complied with by the Federal & Selangor State Government within 1 week from today, we will assume that:

1. There is no serious commitment to the residents of Petaling Jaya that a megahighway in the future similar to KIDEX and PJD Link would be rejected; and

 

1. There is no intention to make available the important documents above, and the 4 residents who have filed the judicial review in Courts will proceed with the lawsuit in the interests of the public.  

 
 
Issued By:
 
The SayNoToPJDLink Movement
Chakaravarthi a/l Thillainathan
Kum Koo Ji
Saktiseelan a/l Shivasubramaniam 
Loke Yin Pong 
​

Source: Malay Mail

Tuesday, 01 Aug 2023 12:25 AM MYT

SHAH ALAM, Aug 1 — The Petaling Jaya Dispersal Link (PJD Link) that Selangor cancelled yesterday might be revived if it could meet requirements and satisfy residents, caretaker mentri besar Datuk Seri Amirudin Shari conceded last night.

However, he said the cancellation he announced earlier yesterday was final and not something that would be revisited after the state election on August 12.

“For us, the people is our utmost priority and we do not wish to gamble with the people’s livelihood just for the sake of development.

“However, at the same time, there is a necessity to further develop Petaling Jaya and to introduce a more effective traffic dispersal system, so we shall see again.

“If they (developer) can fulfil the conditions set by the state and appease the people, we can continue ahead with it; however, at this very moment, they cannot do so because of certain unmet conditions,” he told reporters after launching the Pakatan Harapan-Barisan Nasional manifesto for Selangor here.

The PJD Link was a proposal to build a 34.3km dual-carriage expressway with four lanes and eight interchanges/ramps as an alternative to the heavily-trafficked Lebuhraya-Damansara Puchong (LDP) to connect various fast-growing townships with Bandar Utama at one end and Bukit Jalil at the other end.

The PJD Link was approved by the previous federal government under the prime ministership of Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob in April last year.

It bore a striking resemblance to the controversial Kidex that was cancelled in 2015 by the Selangor government then under the Pakatan Harapan (PH) leadership of Datuk Seri Azmin Ali who has since joined Bersatu, a party that is today a component of the Perikatan Nasional (PN) coalition.

Azmin pulled the plug on Kidex in February 2015 because its developer did not produce relevant supporting studies for its proposal, namely an SIA, a traffic impact assessment (TIA), and an environmental impact assessment (EIA) besides failing to reveal the toll rates and full concession agreement.

Amirudin said the PJD Link was approved in principle by the federal government on November 12, 2017 – then under Barisan Nasional control.

He said the proposal was then submitted to the Selangor Economic Action Council on September 3, 2020 for a residential survey to be carried out in Petaling Jaya before it was presented to the federal government on November 12, 2021 and given a conditional approval.

The condition meant that the developer would have to meet all the requirements set by the Selangor government before it can proceed with construction.

Amirudin said that a concession agreement was signed between the PN federal government and the developer on April 5, 2022 for the construction company to conduct a full EIA, SIA, and TIA before the deal could be “activated”.

An independent survey released in May showed that 93.6 per cent of residents living along the proposed alignment of the PJD Link disagreed with the project, as they believed that noise and air pollution from the proposed highway would be intolerable and that it would not reduce traffic congestion as promised either.

Similarly, 93.6 per cent of the residents surveyed agreed that they and their families would be impacted by the project.

A residents group calling itself Say No to PJD Link opposed to the proposed highway filed a lawsuit in June against the Director General of the Department of Town and Country Planning, the Selangor State Director of the Department of Town and Country Planning, the Selangor State Government and the Malaysian Government to obtain classified documents after claiming a lack of transparency in the conditional approval.