The Green Party has criticised Selangor government exco Jamaliah Jamaluddin for allegedly failing to protect the land surrounding the Ayer Hitam Forest Reserve in Puchong.
Party pro tem secretary Abdul Razak Ismail said the DAP assemblyperson, who oversees the public health and environment portfolio, should have defended the remaining forest reserves in Selangor.
He also challenged Jamaliah’s (above) claim that the land reserve had been de-gazetted 99 years ago.
“As the environment exco, she should protect Selangor’s forests, especially since only a handful of urban forests remain. Yet she said the forest was de-gazetted 99 years ago, before independence, during the British era. I don’t think the British cared about that.
“If that’s the case, there is no point in appointing her as environment exco. She might as well be called the development exco. To me, this is about advancing the interests of capitalist developers,” he told Malaysiakini.
Yesterday, the Selangor government clarified that 169 acres of land near the Ayer Hitam Forest Reserve had been de-gazetted as permanent forest reserve land in 1926.
Records show that the area was originally part of the Ayer Hitam Forest Reserve gazetted in 1906. However, in 1926, it was de-gazetted to become government land and was subsequently granted titles.
‘Learn from major floods in Sumatra’
Razak also urged Jamaliah to learn from recent floods in Sumatra, Indonesia, which he attributed to forest clearing.
“Urban forests in Selangor are already limited. Why clear more? Consider the consequences.
“An environment exco should take note of events in Sumatra - major floods caused by reckless forest clearing. This should serve as a warning if we don’t want the same fate here,” he added.
Residents have protested development in the area over concerns about potential traffic congestion, environmental risks, and the loss of green spaces in an already densely populated city. - Mkini
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