PUTRAJAYA: The residents of Taman Melawati, Ampang, in Kuala Lumpur lodged a report today to the Malaysian Anti Corruption Commission (MACC) on Selangor government's abrupt decision to build a convention centre instead of a centralised park which was promised initially.
Taman Melawati Residents Association (TMRA) Zone ABC chairman Razman Hakimi Abdullah said the residents sought the commission's intervention to investigate how and why the land status for recreational park was changed to commercial site for the building of a convention centre so quickly.
"The original plan of the project was approved in 2014 and we only found out the development of the park had been cancelled through a tender notice for building the convention center that was published in Utusan Malaysia on May 18. Our question is how can a mega project like this easily go through all the approval process within five months. Why weren't we informed?
"We believe there could be elements of power abuse and corruption in this issue as one-third of the funding of the convention centre comes from the developer which is Sime Darby, another one-third from the municipal council and final one-third from the state-government run by PKR," he told reporters after submitting the report to MACC here today.
Plans for the proposed recreational park known as Central Park was scrapped to pave way for a convention centre on a 1.48 hectare land at Jalan Bandar 12 in Taman Melawati. It is expected to cost about RM25 million.
The two-year project is set to begin between December 2017 and January 2018.
Razman said in exchange for the convention centre, Ampang Jaya Municipal Council (MPAJ) said it would build the park on a smaller site about a kilometer away.
"Sime Darby Property had promised to build the park next to Melawati Mall five years ago as part of its Taman Melawati redevelopment plan including other high-rise residential buildings. This act is really uncalled for.
"We are disappointed as MPAJ also refused to have a public hearing with the residents in regard to the matter," he said.
Razman hoped the MACC's investigation will look into all aspects and all parties including MPAJ, the state government and the developer for the sake of some 30,000 residents in Taman Melawati.
"A total of 75 per cent of the residents here are retirees and old folks.We don't need a convention centre. We want some greenery around our neighbourhood, not a concrete jungle.
"I think it is ridiculous to build a convention centre as the area is jam-prone. Adding more buildings will only add on to the existing traffic congestion ," he added.
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