PETALING Jaya MP Lee Chean Chung has called upon the Malaysian Highway Authority to make public the concession agreement for the Petaling Jaya Dispersal Link (PJD Link) project.
He pointed out the importance of transparency, stating that access to the agreement is essential for lawmakers, experts, and concerned citizens to engage in informed discussions and decision-making.
“It is concerning that the concession agreement remains undisclosed to the public.
“While big institutions have access to this information for financing purposes, 32 million Malaysians are left uninformed, eroding public trust,” Lee said in a statement on Instagram.
The Selangor state government halted the PJD Link project in July last year, pending the fulfilment of certain requirements. Selangor Menteri Besar (MB) Datuk Seri Amirudin Shari had previously stated that the project would not be approved if it resembled the scrapped Kinrara-Damansara Expressway (Kidex) project from 2015.
Various resident groups in Petaling Jaya have raised concerns that the PJD Link project could essentially be a rebranded version of Kidex. Residents have taken legal action against authorities for allegedly withholding documents such as the environmental impact assessment (EIA) related to the PJD Link.
“The sudden revival of the project raised major questions. Equally puzzling is that this time, the opposition representative was consulted before the government.
“Even I was given little information on the project,” Lee added.
Moreover, he lamented that his enquiries in Parliament have often been obstructed or redirected under the Official Secrets Act (OSA) 1972.
Highlighting the necessity of transparency for responsible governance, Lee asserted that meaningful consultation cannot occur without the disclosure of critical information.
“Transparency is fundamental to responsible governance.”
The proposed 25.4km PJD Link project aims to construct an elevated expressway connecting the Sprint highway in Damansara to the Bukit Jalil highway in Bandar Kinrara. – April 3, 2024
