How Did Afif Know Of Alleged Rm100m Payment For Pjd Link Asks Pj Mp

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Petaling Jaya MP Lee Chean Chung has questioned how a Selangor opposition assemblyperson came up with an alleged RM100 million compensation to the developer of the Petaling Jaya Dispersal Link (PJD Link Expressway) if the project was cancelled.
Lee said Taman Medan state lawmaker Dr Afif Bahardin could not have known about it as the concession agreement was classified under the Official Secrets Act, adding that he himself had urged the government to make it public.
“I have repeatedly asked the Works Ministry to declassify this report (concession agreement). Now there is no public report. How do you know you (the government) have to compensate?
“Has he seen this report? Reading this report is a violation of the Official Secrets Act,” he asked.
The PKR MP also pointed out that Selangor Perikatan Nasional chairperson Azmin Ali had opposed the highway project last year and wondered why his party comrade in Bersatu, Afif, suddenly changed his position.
“What is the position of Bersatu and PN on this matter? It seems to be changing now, his position with ‘his boss’ is different,” Lee asked.
On Aug 9 last year, pro-PN news portal MalaysiaNow reported Azmin as saying that there was no point in building expressways in the city on the grounds of solving traffic congestion.
“My principle is, why do you need a highway in the city? If it’s outside, as an outer ring road, that can be considered.”
Selangor Perikatan Nasional chairperson Azmin AliMeanwhile, Lee said Afif should not have assumed that he did not read the environmental assessment (EIA) and social impact assessment (SIA) reports.
He also disagreed with the opposition lawmaker’s assertion that the PJD Link could solve traffic congestion, adding that the latter’s remarks were “rough”.
“I thought his response was very rough. How did he know I didn’t read the reports?”
‘Highway would only make things worse’
Lee also insisted that constructing the PJD Link would not have resolved traffic woes but make things worse instead.
People would not only have to bear more expensive tolls but the project may also reduce local business volume, he said.
“This highway is designed to divert traffic from Damansara to the Kinrara area, so it cannot solve the traffic jam in Taman Medan.
“It will have two counter-effects. First, it will make the people of Taman Medan pay heavier tolls. Does Afif want to make the people of Taman Medan poorer? Does he want them to bear more burdens?
“Second, it will cause vehicles not to pass through the original roads, such as those with night markets and places with many small businesses. Is Afif intending to leave these people without business?” he asked.
Petaling Jaya residents protesting the proposed PJD Link in 2022Lee said Afif should understand local conditions before expressing opinions on this issue.
“When he has time, he can go to the nightmarket and ask how many people stop by Taman Medan to buy things before going home.
“Not only does this plan fail to address the problem, it actually makes it even more difficult for locals to solve the traffic jam. They have to pay tolls and business is gone,” he said.
He also gave an example that if the PJD Link is built, it may end up with the same fate as LDP as there will be traffic jams all the time.
Lee believes that the best solution to the traffic congestion in Taman Medan is to establish complete public transportation.
No official notification of project scrapping
On April 17, government spokesperson Fahmi Fadzil said that the highway project had been cancelled as the developer failed to meet conditions.
The concessionaire had applied for an extension to meet the conditions but it was rejected by the government, the communications minister said.
In response, PJD Link said it is studying requests to review the highway’s alignment.
Elaborating, PJD Link said that it has yet to be “officially informed” by the government about the cancellation and vouched for the project’s viability and benefits for the people.
Yesterday, Afif said it would be unfortunate if the government had to compensate the developer if the highway was scrapped.
He claimed that the developer, PJD Link (M) Sdn Bhd, could claim damages from the government and the latter would have nothing to show for. - Mkini

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