Umno ex-councillors can't recall approval meeting

Two former Selayang municipal councillors from Umno are not able to remember the evenst at the full board meeting of the council that approved the Dolomite condominium project in Batu Caves.

Soohaimi Abdul Rahman, who with the Selayang Municipal Council (MPS) from 2004 to 2008, told Malaysiakini that he could not recall anything about the project approval.

"That was more than five years ago... it has nothing to do with me now. (Currently), I have no ties and interest as (I am not) an MPS councillor," said Soohaimi, who was the former assemblyperson for Kuang.

Asked whether he still had the minutes of the meeting, he said he no longer did, as it took place a long time ago.

"You should get confirmation from current MPS chairperson.

"Please, act professionally. You check with official records from the YDP (Yang di-Pertua, the municipal president). I think he has all the minutes and records," Soohaimi added.

Another former MPS councillor, Abdul Shukur Idrus, also of Umno, said he too could not remember the meeting.

"I can't recall. I did not sit in the One-Stop Centre (OSC)," Shukur, who is the incumbent Kuang assemblyperson, said when contacted by Malaysiakini.

Shukur served two terms as MPS councillor, from 1998 to 2002 and from 2004 to 2008.

The OSC receives and processes applications for building plans, land work plans and project plans for approval before these are submitted to the full board meeting of the MPS for final approval.

'Kohilan voted for the project'

English daily theSun reported yesterday that the MPS meeting minutes dated Nov 29, 2007, state that 19 councillors who attended the full board meeting of the MPS voted to approve the condominium project.

The paper reported that deputy foreign affairs minister Senator A. Kohilan Pillay (of the Gerakan), who was a councillor from 1997 to 2008, had voted in favour of the project.

Other three MIC councillors, Rajakupal Sinnathamby, Jayakumaran Govindasamy and Rajandran Muniandy, also supported the project.

Kohilan could not be reached to comment as he is currently attending the Asia-Europe Meeting (Asem) summit in Laos.

He had previously denied he was involved in approving the project, saying that he was not a member of OSC.

Meanwhile, MPS chairperson Zainal Abidin Aala when contacted byMalaysiakini said he needed to refer to the minutes before commenting

The issue arose after the MIC-backed Sri Subramaniar temple committee led a  against the project in late October.

However, Selangor executive councillor Ronnie Liu subsequentlyrevealed documents to show that the BN government had in 2007 approved the condominium project - considered by many to be an eyesore - when it controlled Selangor.

Yesterday, Liu further stated that the state government mightcancel the approval for the project for ignoring the objections of the state Department of Environment (DOE).

Selangor Menteri Besar Abdul Khalid Ibrahim has announced that anindependent task force will study the matter.

The members of the task force are expected to be announced today, after the state executive council meeting.