In 1985, I bought a house from SPPK Sdn Bhd located at Lot PT16589, mukim of Damansara, district of Petaling Jaya. At that time, we had sought the views of a valuation company which undertook the valuation of the land, and reviewed the surrounding properties and values. They also attached an overview map which showed green lungs and open spaces around our property.

Today, many of the previously marked green lungs are slowly but surely disappearing, as more and more green lungs, which should have been handed over to MBPJ but were not complied with, and are suddenly marked as “private land with signs put up for their sale for development purposes”.

Therefore, let me restate the case of the one around my home; actually and physically behind our house. My wife specifically chose this house lot out of the 51 lots available because it had that green lung behind our choice. To quote what my wife said then, “You can take the country girl out of her country but you cannot take the country out of the girl.” My wife is a dairy cattle farmer’s daughter and the countryside meant a lot to her.

Even before we bought the house, I made an appointment and visited the then-MPPJ president, Abdullah Satar, about the nature of the green lung. His exact words were: “John, it is marked green on every published map of Petaling Jaya; it is destined to be a green lung.” Famous last words!

We bought the house and moved in in July 1985.  In January 1986, we left for the US to pursue studies. Upon our return in 1992, we finally moved in in 1993, having given notice to our tenant.

In 1993 I began hearing rumours about the plans to hijack the land for other forms of development. Some of the neighbourhood residents started a signature campaign to state our views against the so-called development. We handed over our objections to the MPPJ on Sept 10, 1993. Eight residents along my street (SS 1/29) and adjacent to the green lung signed the petition. We were never called for any meeting.

Nothing happened, but we were aware of the local government minister giving statements about green lungs and making policy pronouncements in the newspapers. The gap between public policy statements and reality was obvious and glaring for all the residents to see.

In 1997, the original group of nine residents in SS1/31 also registered their objections to the development of the land. Again to no avail. I then sent an AR registered letter to Mohd Nor Bador, the then-MPPJ president, with copies to the minister warning of our objections. No one heard.  

Answers sought for 10 questions

On June 24, 1999 I wrote to Sharifah Marhaini Syed Ali, the then-MPPJ director of town planning, seeking answers to 10 specific questions, with copies to the then-state assemblyperson. These were the questions:

1. When was the green space marked No 5 submitted to the Petaling Jaya District Office for gazetting as a green space?
2. Please specify who owns this piece of land?  Has it been surrendered to the MPPJ for the above gazetting?
3. To the best of your knowledge are there plans to develop the said lands?
4. Has any such development plans been submitted to MPPJ?
5. What procedure will MPPJ follow to get the views of the residents?
6. Given that this piece of land is a closed valley facing a dead-end street, is there any reason for the development of this land?
7. Are you aware that this is the only green lung in our area marked as a green lung and therefore should remain as a green space?
8. Are you aware that as the purchaser of the current house, I have a right to a green lung as approved and marked in the approval plans?
9. Is the MPPJ not aware that the cabinet has given a directive for all green spaces to be gazetted as green lungs? Is the MPPJ and state government following this policy?
10. What would be the reasonable time-frame for the District Office to gazette such green spaces?

With no courtesy of replies, I wrote to the menteri besar with copies to the prime minister and ministers in November 1999. Then, when I made a visit to the president of MPPJ jointly with my assemblyperson, we were finally “informed” that there was a 1997 state exco decision to build a mosque as requested by about 300 residents.

Then on Dec 2, 1999, the New Straits Times on their City front-page carried a story headlined, “Angry over Kg Tunku’s vanishing green lung!” We still did not get the answers, but instead the development continued in spite of corruption accusations amongst the development community, until the state JKR took over the project and completed it.

In March 2000, I wrote to the then-local government minister, Ong Ka Ting, and got and MPPJ version of the answer from the DG of Housing and Local Government. Then after the change of the Selangor state government in 2008, I wrote to the new MB of Selangor, and I received the MBPJ version of the answer, even though this was first time I received a response signed by the MB himself.  

Little change in green lung consciousness

There was a change of government but with little or no substantial change in the awareness and consciousness of the local green lung issues. Green lung violations still continue, fundamentally because approved green lungs have not been handed over to the local authority to be officially and finally gazetted as green spaces for posterity.

Therefore, most recently, I have written again to the MB through a personal envoy and we even had a meeting with the MB’s Office assistant. The meeting was a good one and she heard us out on all our related issues, but we wait with great hope and anticipation for the meeting scheduled with the MB over such violation and reclassification of green spaces.  

The private interests are for wealth creation of individuals and other sectarian interests but these must stop not just in MBPJ but for all of Selangor.

Only when the Selangor state government can legally and willingly protect its green lungs and create space for its residents to breathe clean and green air can we say that Selangor is a developed state.

Until then, we the older residents of MBPJ, who have a three-generational knowledge of happenings in and around MBPJ, will speak with one voice about our quality of life issues and concerns. I am sure they will translate into votes at this coming general election. May God bless the Selangor government in their next elections.

KJ JOHN was in public service for 29 years. The views expressed here are his personal views and not those of any institution he is involved with. Write to him at [email protected] with any feedback or views.