Victory in sight after 10-year fight

Malay Mail 11/10/2005

KUALA LUMPUR: After fighting for more than 10 years to prevent their hill from being developed, victory is in sight for the residents of Bukit Kiara.

It is learnt that City Hall has recommended to the Cabinet that the site is not suitable for the development of the proposed broadcasting centre.

Sources told The Malay Mail that the Cabinet would most likely be in favour of preserving the green lung following City Hall’s recommendations.

It is also learnt that Datuk Bandar Datuk Ruslin Hassan held a meeting last Friday with nine members of the Public Accounts Committee, led by its chairman Datuk Shahrir Abdul Samad, and Segambut MP Datuk Dr Tan Kee Kwong in Parliament where he conveyed City Hall’s stand on the matter.

City Hall concurred with the rationale of the Friends of Bukit Kiara (FoBK) pro-tem committee that the green lung be protected.

FoBK had questioned the need to have another broadcasting centre when Angkasapuri would serve the purpose.

The land was leased out to Measat Digicast Sdn Bhd on a 30-year lease from 1997.

FoBK has been receiving strong support from various sectors, the most prominent being from Youth and Sports Minister Datuk Azalina Othman Said who said the hill was suitable for mountain-biking and other recreational activities.

FoBK chairman Liew Khooi Cheng told The Paper That Cares yesterday that nothing was more satisfactory than getting to keep the green lung.

Liew said he was informed of the meeting involving Ruslin, Shahrir and Dr Tan.

"We were told that at that meeting, Ruslin conveyed to Shahrir and Dr Tan that City Hall has found that the project is not suitable to be sited on Bukit Kiara," he said.

Liew said FoBK had written to Chief Secretary to the Government Tan Sri Samsudin Osman yesterday, informing him of the outcome of the meeting.

"We hope Tan Sri (Samsudin) would ensure that the land (earmarked for the proposed broadcasting centre) could be preserved and retained as a recreational and botanical park."

Copies of the letter were sent to Shahrir and Ruslin.