Amirudin’s hospital land search turns Malaysian netizens into instant urban planning experts

 

SELANGOR Menteri Besar Amirudin Shari recently sparked discussion online after sharing that the state government is actively looking for suitable land to build more hospitals in Petaling Jaya.

On paper, it sounded like one of the least controversial things a politician could say. But this is Malaysian social media, where even a discussion about healthcare infrastructure can somehow evolve into an argument or arguments as seen in the post which was shared on X.

According to netizen @RandomHistoryG4, the data centres which he claimed was not beneficial were quickly approved while there were many excuses revolving around hospitals.

Towards this comment, the chief minister replied that the owners of the data centres bought the land directly from the owners.

More and more experts are entering the comment section. Then there was @adamapotek suggesting they take the land used for golfing around the Ara Damansara area.

The chief minister patiently replied that there is already a site at Kota Damansara while there is still a need at Taman Medan and PJ Old Town.

The temperature in the comment section is rising by the moment.

Another netizen pointed out the reserve land in Selangor worth RM4 bil but the land price is being used as an excuse not to build hospitals.

Away from the negativity, @Pokokpangkal suggested these two areas which were politely rejected by the chief minister, stating that the areas were close by to several hospitals.

Then there was a sarcastic @SyedJymalZahiid who suggested the government save the money and use it for petrol subsidies as petrol is the solution to every problem.

One netizen even suggested a radical idea which was to convert non-performing malls into hospitals.

Extending from this idea was @muhdrajaei, pointing out the old malls in Petaling Jaya which are capable of housing a hospital.

Looking through the comments, we can imagine the burden of being Selangor’s chief minister.

In a state with millions of residents, heavy traffic, rising healthcare demand and limited land, every decision invites both criticism and unsolicited consultancy services from netizens armed with Google Maps and confidence. 

Build a hospital and people ask why it was not built sooner. Suggest searching for land and people immediately become urban planners, economists, healthcare consultants and part-time architects.

So while the comment section predictably spiralled into  politics and sarcasm, the underlying issue remains painfully serious. — Focus Malaysia