I write this not as an activist or politician, but as a resident of Bandar Kinrara whose daily life, home investment, and trust in governance are directly affected by the proposed redevelopment bordering the Ayer Hitam Forest Reserve.
Like many others here, I bought my home with a clear expectation: that the greenery in front of my house - part of one of the last remaining forest lungs in this part of Selangor - would remain protected.
Today, that expectation is being quietly dismantled.
The controversy surrounding the Ayer Hitam Forest Reserve is not merely about land use. It is about credibility, governance, and political accountability at a time when Selangor’s leadership can least afford to appear dismissive of public sentiment.
Residents are repeatedly told that the disputed 68.4ha is “not technically part of the forest reserve” and was degazetted nearly a century ago. This legalistic argument may be convenient, but it is deeply unsatisfactory.
Laws evolve, values evolve, and so should policy. The fact that land was removed from a forest reserve in 1926 during the colonial administration does not absolve today’s government of responsibility to protect what little green space remains in an overbuilt Klang Valley.
Veil of secrecy
What is particularly troubling is how this issue surfaced. Residents learned of potential development not through transparent planning disclosures or proactive engagement, but through social impact assessment briefings initiated by consultants before any formal development application had even been submitted to the Subang Jaya City Council (MBSJ).
This reverses the spirit, if not the letter, of participatory urban planning. Consultation after decisions are functionally made is not consultation; it is damage control.
The call by Subang MP Wong Chen for the full disclosure of the land’s historical transactions, ownership transfers, and pricing is therefore entirely justified. Selangor has a Freedom of Information Enactment for a reason.
If the state government truly believes it has acted in the public interest, transparency should not be feared. Instead, residents are left guessing.
Who owns the land now? At what price did it change hands? And if the state is now considering reacquiring it, will taxpayers once again foot the bill for opaque decisions made earlier?
Environmental concerns are not abstract here. The Ayer Hitam Forest Reserve is not a decorative green patch, as it is an ecological buffer, a research forest, and a natural cooling system for the surrounding neighbourhoods.
Development at its edge risks more than tree loss. It threatens increased flooding, traffic congestion, heat stress, and long-term degradation of the forest itself.
Anyone who lives in Bandar Kinrara or Puchong knows our roads are already saturated and our infrastructure strained.
Trail of broken promises
Yet what makes this issue politically explosive is its timing and pattern.
Ayer Hitam does not stand alone. In Gombak, Indian settlements near Batu Caves face displacement under redevelopment plans that remain vague on relocation outcomes.
In Klang, Kampung Jalan Papan residents have experienced forced evictions despite long-standing promises of replacement housing.
In all cases, communities that supported Pakatan Harapan in multiple elections now feel marginalised, unheard, or misled.
Selangor has long been considered Harapan’s strongest bastion. That strength, however, was built on more than electoral arithmetic. It was built on a promise: good governance, transparency, and people-first decision-making.
When these principles appear compromised, especially on land, housing, and environmental issues, the political cost can be severe.
With the 16th general election approaching, it would be dangerously complacent to assume voter loyalty is automatic.
Opposition parties such as Bersatu and PAS are already adept at exploiting governance failures, particularly when they intersect with environmental destruction, broken promises, or perceived elitism.
They will not need to fabricate narratives; they merely need to amplify what residents are already feeling.
Institutions must act
For middle-class homeowners like myself, this is not about ideology. It is about trust. I invested my life savings in a home overlooking greenery, believing state planning frameworks would protect such spaces.
If that assurance proves hollow, it sends a chilling signal: that no green space, no matter how valued, is truly safe from redevelopment once land values rise high enough.
This is why I urge three key institutions to act decisively: MBSJ, the Selangor government, and the elected representatives at both state and federal levels for the affected constituencies.
Local councils must stop hiding behind procedural technicalities and insist on environmental primacy in planning decisions.
The state government must go beyond saying “no application has been submitted” and instead commit clearly, politically, and morally to preserving Ayer Hitam as a forest reserve.
Furthermore, the Selangor sultan, as a constitutional monarch who is deeply respected for safeguarding the state’s natural heritage, has both the authority and moral weight to ensure that short-term development pressures do not permanently scar the state.
Re-gazetting the land as part of the Ayer Hitam Forest Reserve would send a powerful message: that Selangor’s leadership still understands stewardship, still listens, and still governs with foresight.
Failure to do so will not only destroy a forest edge. It will erode public confidence, fracture long-standing political support, and confirm the growing fear among residents that promises of reform were conditional - valid only until inconvenient.
Ayer Hitam is a test. Not of legality, but of leadership. - Mkini
R PANEIR SELVAM is the principal consultant of Arunachala Research & Consultancy Sdn Bhd, a think tank specialising in strategic national and geopolitical matters.
The views expressed here are those of the author/contributor and do not necessarily represent the views of MMKtT.
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