Local councils a law unto themselves
Lack of accountability and transparency in the Batu Caves condo project is the result of 50 years of Umno-BN rule, says DAP’s S Ramakrishnan
Athi Shankar, FMT
The condominium project approved by the BN-led Selangor government in 2007 near Batu Caves has highlighted the lack of accountability and transparency in local councils, said DAP Senator S Ramakrishnan.
He said the two 29-storey project, slated to be built adjacent to the Hindu temple showed that the over 50 years of BN federal rule had made local councils a lord unto themselves.
He took the Selayang Municipal Council to task for approving the Dolomite Park Avenue condominium project on Sept 26, 2007 despite the federal declaration’s of the 272ha Batu Caves Reserve as a national heritage site that same year.
He hit out at the council for approving the project without an environmental impact study and called for a review and reevaluation of the project altogether. The beauty of the area was in the caves, hill structures, and the many varieties of unique and inimitable flora and fauna.
He said that in 1930, the Batu Caves Hill was reserved as a site for public recreation (Federated Malay States Government Gazette Notification (GN) No 4712-30, part-revoked by GN 652-54; and the Selangor State Government Gazette GN 312-59), while in 1980 the state government agreed to stop quarrying at Batu Caves to protect the hills and caves.
“The federal declaration affirmed the status of Batu Caves as a unique site of national interest. Yet the MPS approved the project,” said Ramakrishnan.
He said current Selangor Menteri Besar Khalid Ibrahim had called for local councils to be reformed.
Local councils must be made accountable –
However, Ramakrishnan said the dominant federal ruling party, Umno, had lost the moral authority and leadership to reform them.
He called for a change of government to initiate reforms and accountability of local councils to rate payers. “Local councils must be made accountable for their decisions,” he said.
The Senator also commended the Malaysian Nature Society (MNS) for monitoring and protecting the dark caves and lime stone structures within the Batu Caves.
