Talks between MB, Redha, NGOs on hillslope

The dialogue chaired by the Mentri Besar, Tan Sri Khalid Ibrahim was to enable all stakeholders viz. developers, NGOs, residents’ associations and government officials to express themselves on this important subject.

A number of Selangor state EXCO members were present.

While there was a wide gap in terms of the expectations and wishes of developers on the one hand and residents’ associations on the other, such “town hall” meetings are very useful in terms of appreciating the different viewpoints and is part of the commitment of the Pakatan Rakyat government to give a voice to the people in the formulation of state policies.

After about three hours of very spirited dialogue including presentations by NGO representatives and comments by state EXCO members, the Mentri Besar brought the discussions to a close by saying that all views will be duly considered and there will be future consultations on this and other important subjects. After the dialogue the MB announced that the state government’s policy to ban hillslope development on land with gradients exceeding 25 degrees stands with the proviso that development proposals that were approved prior to the ban would be allowed subject to all other planning and legal requirements being met.

There needs to be a reasonable balance in development for it to be sustainable. While development and material progress has always been part of human civilisation, and indeed is essential to meet the demands of the earth’s growing poplulation, such development must at all times, take into consideration the environment and the delicate balance of ecology for that development to be sustainable and ensure the long-term interests of our people.

Let’s stop wasteful meetings

by NADESWARAN

“YB, since the state govt had decided that there will be no hillslope development, why then is the meeting on Wednesday?”
“This was decided in the meeting with Rehda earlier. It should be held earlier but delayed due to byelection.”
“Only two questions: Is Rehda calling the shots? Will Wednesday’s meeting be a prelude to changing state govt policy? Since the state has decided, there shd be no more talk.”

“The state exco has never discussed this matter. Pls stop speculating. I’ll talk to Iskandar to invite press.”
FIRST of all, let’s decipher some acronyms. YB means Yang Berhormat. Rehda is the Real Estate and Housing Developers Association. The above is an exchange of SMS between me and Teresa Kok, the Selangor executive councillor for investment, trade and industry. To the uninitiated, Kok had in a letter to the editor of this newspaper, accused Terence Fernandez and me of practising irresponsible journalism and that some of our articles were misleading.

When the editor remarked that the contents of her letter which was published contained unpleasant remarks about us, our instant reply was — publish them and let the readers decide. We have no qualms about that. Everyone has his own opinion and we should have no quarrel with those who don’t agree with us. If we edit or refuse to publish letters which disagree with our views, the paper would be accused of lots of things.

Her letter was related to articles pertaining to hillslope development in Selangor in which both of us had made some startling comments. Having given Kok her side of the story, another side issue was developing over the weekend. We were informed yesterday afternoon that there would be a meeting between Rehda, the Selangor government and NGOs on hillslope development at the state secretariat on Wednesday. Nothing was mentioned about other stakeholders – the residents who usually bear the brunt and brute end-result of hillslope development.
Notwithstanding the announcement, the Mentri Besar, Tan Sri Abdul Khalid Ibrahim, had in March dismissed speculation that hillslope development would be allowed by the new government.
“We believe our hills should be preserved as they are important water catchment areas,” he was quoted as saying and made some concessions by saying that 141 projects which had been approved by the previous administration would be allowed to continue.
A month later, the state adopted the national guidelines on hillslope development – approval will only be given for gradients below 26 degrees. So coming back to Kok’s SMS, we find it intriguing indeed, because she says the state “never discussed this matter”. Are we to assume that Abdul Khalid acted on his own volition without consulting the exco? Is he running the state as a dictator with no consultation process? No, we know that he advocates discussion and often seeks the views of his fellow colleagues before drawing up a policy decision.

So, what is this meeting all about? As my SMS indicates, if a policy has been made, why waste time, effort and money on meetings? Kok’s reply is telling indeed – it was decided at a meeting with Rehda.
Any right-thinking person would assume that when a policy is made, the need for consultation will only arise if there are going to be changes. Why should such a decision be made at a meeting with developers? It gives the impression that the developers want to “educate” NGOs about hillslope development, notwithstanding the fact that a policy has already been made.
Therefore, as the SMS indicates, we were wondering if it was Rehda’s call to have the meeting. And would Wednesday’s meeting be a prelude to a change of policy? The people of Selangor have a legitimate reason to think so and also have a right to ask for reasons for the meeting – at such short notice and on a working day. (This method of having meetings on working days to get a reduced attendance was effectively used by the previous government when they wanted to push through certain policies.)
Of course, the people had and still have high expectations of the new people in office and that they would call for such meetings at days when it is convenient to the ordinary citizens, not politicians or civil servants. Or is it an indication that the people are expecting too much?

Does this amount to speculation? These questions can be answered with a firm “yes” or “no”. But Kok wants me to stop speculating. Short of firm answers, how do you expect residents to react? They will form their own opinions (which they are entitled to) and have their own views on how the (new) government is administering the state. Based on what they read and whatever information is made available to them, they too have a right to assume that the developers have now a certain amount of influence on our elected representatives.

R. Nadeswaran insists that the state government should not be wasting time to satisfy the egos of certain individuals who have put profits before people. He can be reached at [email protected]

Updated: 12:50AM Mon, 25 Aug 2008
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