Saturday, December 06, 2008

The Star Wednesday March 19, 2008

Storm in a teacup

By SALINA KHALID

THE Kota Damansara Muslim Cemetery will remain but there will be no more development in the area, according to Kota Damansara state assemblyman Dr Mohd Nasir Hashim.“We have decided to keep the cemetery but at the same time ensure that the surrounding will remain a green area.


Allaying fears: Dr Mohd Nasir assuring the Kota Damansara residentsthat the Muslim cemetery would remain.

“Since the land still belongs to the state government, we will make sure that there is no further development at this forest reserve,” he said, referring to the Sungai Buloh Forest Reserve.

Dr Mohd Nasir made this promise to a group of 50 Kota Damansara residents who had gathered at the cemetery’s main entrance yesterday to protest against the visit by Bukit Gasing state assemblyman Edward Lee and to demand that the cemetery remains there.


Edward Lee is currently the Bukit Gasing N.34 State Assemblyman; Tourism, Consumer Affairs and Environment Assistant Exco Member to Elizabeth Wong; Special Select Committee on Competency Accountability and Transparency (SELCAT) Committee Member; Section 5 RA President; and All Petaling Jaya Residents' Association Coalition (APAC-CAHC) Founder and Advisor.

The newly elected DAP state assemblyman was caught in a sticky situation when he decided to conduct a site visit to the Muslim burial site.


His visit was misconstrued and had made the residents who had been fighting for the cemetery uneasy.


The group was seen at the main entrance of the cemetery as early as 9am. Some had put up banners on the fence urging the new state government to leave the cemetery alone.

Also present were representatives from Majlis Perbandaran Petaling Jaya (MBPJ) the Forestry Department.


“The residents wanted to know the purpose of Lee’s visit to the cemetery.


‘‘That is why they decided to gather here and find out for themselves,” said Kota Damansara Cemetery Development committee chairman Alpadzul Abu Hassan.


He said Lee had called representatives from the MBPJ, Forestry Department and also the Cemetery Development Committee to brief him on the cemetery development.

Alpadzul, who is also Section 6 residents’ association chairman, said they felt that Lee should not have come charging there to get such information and should have talked to Dr Mohd Nasir or sought details from MBPJ.


In response to the situation, Lee said it was all due to miscommunication.


“I went there to check on the environmental issue and not the cemetery.


Lee said he had received complaints from the residents living near the cemetery, voicing out their fears that the development would not stop at the cemetery.


He said as he had been involved in the Sungai Buloh Forest Reserve issue for a few years, he had wanted to check on its status himself.


The cemetery, which is part of the depleting Sungai Buloh Forest Reserve, was the subject of controversy last year.


A group of residents and those who wanted to keep the green area had objected to it.

2 comments:

anis alina said...

Nak tnya, dekat kota damansara ada community hall (badminton court) tak?

dZeal said...

Ada di Seksyen 7.