The Shah Alam Stadium is coming down

An RM 100 plus million refurbishment has been replaced with an RM 3.28 billion development project. That’s almost the amount that the federal government has claimed to save on eliminating the diesel subsidy on the peninsula.

Murray Hunter

In a saga that took a couple of years to wrest corporate control over the state, the Shah Alam Stadium is coming down. It took a new Shah Alam mayor to change his tune to direct the structure to be demolished.

The original Shah Alam Stadium took 4 years to build and was opened in 1994, as the home of the Selangor Red Giants Football Club. The original stadium had an 80,000 person seat capacity, housing athletic, football and concert events. The only reason the stadium had fallen into disrepair was due to lack of maintenance.  The new stadium will have a reported 45,000 seat capacity.

Many social media comments over the last day are reflecting to importance the once grand icon had not just on Shah Alam people, but on Malaysians generally. 

The new CEO of Menteri Besar Incorporated (MBI) Saipolyazan M Yusop contradicted the JKR reports claiming its more cost effective to pull down the old stadium than refurbish it. An RM 100 plus million refurbishment has been replaced with an RM 3.28 billion development project. That’s almost the amount that the federal government has claimed to save on eliminating the diesel subsidy on the peninsula.

Saipolyazan goes on to explain a project somewhat different from the mark I, mark II and mark III plans to the stadium. The new Mayor Mohd Fauzi Mohd Yatim said the development proposal for the Shah Alam Sports Complex was still being discussed at late as June 20.

After initial opposition to the project, opposition leader Azmin Ali became deadly silent over the matter. On November 14, Selangor Opposition Leader Datuk Seri Mohamed Azmin Ali demanded clarification on the state government’s financial ability to finance the redevelopment of Shah Alam Sports Complex and Shah Alam Stadium, which has reportedly increased to RM3.28 billion – more than 90% of the current state reserve of RM3.29 billion.

The big winner of the event is really MRCB. The project will substantially increase the company’s income. The project is so large, and if the company is paid through the ‘land-swap method’, rather than cash the Selangor state clearly doesn’t have, this could clearly challenge MRCB’s management. It will be interesting to see how MRCB management tackle this issue. The cash to fund the project will have to come from somewhere, if the RM 3.28 billion, three stage project goes ahead in its entirety.

The project has been described by the media as one where there is a growing sense of excitement among Selangorians. Let’s all hope this project doesn’t become a massive white elephant.