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Hannah Yeoh to FT Ministry: Leave TTDI residents alone

Hannah Yeoh to FT Ministry: Leave TTDI residents alone

PUCHONG: Livid over attacks on the Taman Tun Dr Ismail Residents Association (TTDI RA), a deputy minister fired a salvo on the Federal Territories Ministry, telling the latter to leave the residents alone.

“Leave the residents alone. They do not have a single ringgit profit to gain by fighting for the preservation of Taman Rimba Kiara unlike Yayasan Wilayah Persekutuan who has a RM160million price tag attached to all these promotional effort,” said Women, Family and Community Development deputy minister Hannah Yeoh on her Facebook post.

Yesterday, the Malay Mail Online reported Federal Territories Minister Khalid Samad’s press secretary Zulkifli Sulong accusing the TTDI RA of ‘spinning and telling half-truths’ to support their demands.

He also backed Khalid’s proposed scaled down development project at Taman Rimba Kiara, saying the solution was a win-win solution for all parties.

In 2015, the Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL) approved a RM3 billion plan to build eight blocks of 50-storey luxury condominiums and one block of affordable apartments at Taman Rimba Kiara.

The affordable housing was for the longhouse residents living there, whom were displaced 37 years ago after the Bukit Kiara rubber estate was taken over for development purposes.

An agreement between the longhouse residents and Yayasan Wilayah Persekutuan (YWP) ensured that each of the 98 families will have one unit of housing for free and another at 50% discount.

The initial project would have taken up 4.9 hectares of land, almost half of the 10.1-hectare Taman Rimba Kiara.

TTDI RA went up in arms against the project and said the green lung should not be touched. 

After Pakatan Harapan took over the government, Khalid scaled down the project from 4.9 hectares to 3.2 hectares.

He also said that he had taken into account everyone’s interests, as well as saving the government from legal action and having to pay RM150 million in compensation to developer, Memang Perkasa Sdn Bhd if the project was cancelled.

However, TTDI RA rejected the scaled-down proposal as well saying the park should not be touched for any development purposes.

Yeoh, who is also Segambut MP, questioned Khalid on why he keeps producing videos and statements trying to convince on how good the new deal was instead of waiting for Cabinet’s approval on the matter.

“The FT Minister has also said that this matter would be brought to the Cabinet BUT almost every week there are new videos or statements attempting to convince public that their scaled-down version is a ‘good’ deal for the people of Kuala Lumpur.

“This is precisely why the conflict of interest issue was raised. Why the need for special officers and special newspaper going the extra mile to defend a venture of Yayasan Wilayah Persekutuan whose chairman is also the FT Minister?

“I wonder if other developers in KL receive the same level of effort and resources to justify their developments?” she asked.

By G Vinod