SNTK Press Statement Tuesday, 27 January 2015 This press statement is in response to the release of the independent study commissioned by MBPJ on Kidex which was carried out over a period of 4 months and reported on the 15th of January 2015. Before we delve into the meat of this report, let us first address several issues. We wish to thank MBPJ and the respective ADUNs for releasing this report into the public domain. SNTK has had quite an exciting journey since our inception. We have been called many names by individuals and the media: highway critics, detractors, and political rabble rousers to name a few. Despite all this, we continue to garner growing support from the Petaling Jaya residents, and we thank you for this. Those of you that chose to hear the underlying reasons for our objections to his project realized the truth from the get go. Let it be known that SNTK are comprised of individuals who have a valid cause for concern and objection. Most importantly, we are all residents of our beloved PJ. It is thus very gratifying to be vindicated by an independent report commissioned by MBPJ which confirms what SNTK has been saying all along – that KIDEX is bad for PJ, that it was a corrupt crony project that shows no benefits to the residents of PJ. We note that this report was done by a reputable Traffic Planning and Consultancy firm established in 1993 whose consultants have to-date completed more than two hundred projects. We highlight our issues by supplementing direct quotes from the report speak with our analysis:- CORRUPTION & CRONY PROJECT It is obvious that the proposal has been submitted and discussed at the Federal level that started at the Economic Council presentation on 15 November 2010. This was followed by a Cabinet approval on 11 May 2011. A letter to proceed was issued by Unit Kerjasama Awam Swasta (UKAS) on 25 May 2011 prior to the formation of the three sub-committees on matters related to Technical, Financial and Legal. It is noted that this high level approval was given prior to the planning stage, which eventually involved many federal agencies and departments at the sub-committee levels. -page 6 The proposal for this particular expressway, we were told, was an unsolicited proposal that came directly from the private sector company that owns Kidex. In other words, it was not thought of by the government or the relevant agency that governs expressway planning or the economic planning unit. -page 12 The two facts above crystallize the concepts of closed tender, cronyism, and corruption. The consultant from Perunding Atur however categorically mentioned, that at that time the Kidex alignment was not part of this study and that the O-D matrix study was not done for the purpose of determining any alignment for any particular highway, Kidex included. Based on the documents examined by the consultants in this review, it is quite obvious that the approval of the concept proposal of this expressway is top down, meaning that the submission of the concept proposal (not the Study Documents) was made to the National Economic Council first and received its approval from the cabinet prior to any studies. This decision superseded any studies and considerations by the appropriate and expert agency that is the Highway Planning Unit (HPU) of the Ministry of Works. -page 12 POOR PLANNING The selection of the concept was undertaken by a group of about 41 personnel representing various organisation that included eight (8) personnel from LLM, two (2) each from JKR, PTGS and KZE, one (1) each from JPBD, MBPJ, MPSJ, JPS and seventeen (17) personnel from HSSI, the lead consultant plus a few other consultants. Notably absent from the list were personnel from the Highway Planning Unit (HPU) and Selangor EPU. -page 6 If the selection for the route is done by majority, then how can close to half of the people present for the selection represent the developer? At the beginning of the assignment we requested through MBPJ and subsequently directly to the consultants involved in this project several reports which are listed below: i. Origin-Destination Survey Study Report by the Jacobs, ii. ii. TIA Report by MZK, iii. iii. Traffic Forecasts Report, iv. iv. Cost Benefits Analysis Report, v. v. Original HPU’s O-D Survey Report carried out by Perunding Atur, vi. vi. Highway Master Plan Report for Malaysia by HPU, and vii. vii. Annual Road Traffic Data & Survey by HPU & JKR. As of 15 October 2014, we were told that two reports (No 3) and (No 4) are considered as private and confidential by the consultants. The balance of the reports requested was given to the study team via web links and MDS were subsequently told that there is no document entitled Malaysia’s Highway Master Plan Report. So it could not be established and determined whether Kinrara-Damansara Expressway (Kidex) was indeed part of the national expressway master plan network. At a subsequent meeting held at Wisma Lebuhraya LLM on Monday, 3 November 2014, we were verbally told by the Highway Planning Unit (HPU) that there is no such highway master plan report. Malaysia’s HPU currently does not have any master plan document to show where new highways or expressways are being planned or to be constructed. -page 9 Why are the Traffic Forecasts or the Cost Benefit Analysis deemed P&C? How can KIDEX be built if the HPU currently doesn’t have a Highway Master Plan Report to justify the NEED for the highway? JKR Selangor, for instance, in one of the technical committee meetings said that they do not see how this expressway will reduce traffic in the areas concerned. JKR went on to mention that this expressway will not be helpful to JKR roads. -page 14 With the above VC ratios and LOS, all the thirteen roads in PJ will be able to operate satisfactorily for many years to come and certainly beyond 2018.(without the need for Kidex) -page 15 The issue here is for the authorities to resolve whatever problems that LDP is facing instead of simply diverting the traffic to PJ. PJ New Town should not be made to suffer due to LDP’s failure. LDP’s shortcomings and insufficiency need to be addressed and resolved with or without the new (Kidex) expressway and should not be done at the expense of PJ New Town. -page 17 Similarly, traffic from the south, Putrajaya, Puchong, Kinrara, etc. is being planned to go through PJ in order to travel north and to join NKVE and eventually PLUS highway. This concept proposal is very much going against the principles and guidelines of proper traffic planning and management. Certainly, it goes against the principles of town and city traffic planning where the aim is to reduce the volume of ‘through traffic’ in inner cities but not the other way around. -page 20 PJ New town, however, is not served by any interchange in the preferred option (i.e. the current alignment). -page 23 SOCIAL IMPACT TO RESIDENTS The Social Impact Assessment (SIA) for this Kidex proposal was poorly conducted and remains very unsatisfactory. It did not address issues related to the objections put forward by the complaining residents. In an urban setting such as Petaling Jaya, where the literacy rates among the residents are considered high, it becomes imperative that such a study address the impending issues and problems brought up both by the project and by the residents. This SIA should reflect the seriousness of the matter and provide findings and answers that would cement the differences between the parties concerned. -page 24 The SIA somehow did not consider a sampling from this figure (of the 3,784 lots that would be affected). -page 24 According to many residents met, this briefing was not conducted. This important 13-meter set back rule was also not detailed out in the SIA survey questionnaires and neither was any briefing done for the residents. -page 24 Less than 2% of those who live less than 100 meters away from the alignment were interviewed by the staff of the consultancy company. And yet we know that 3,874 lots are within the 100 meter alignment (on both sides). This is obviously a major flaw in the entire exercise and not acceptable. The SIA results are not representative of the actual situation on the ground and therefore should not be accepted. -page 24 The loop does not serve any other purpose other than maintaining a smooth flow for the estimated 11,000 lorries daily that is forecast in Kidex report. -page 25 Why would anyone use it to get around PJ (and pay toll) when you can use the roads underneath? -page 26 How can the developer claim that there is support for the highway when they have only interviewed 2% of the people that live within 100 meters of the highway? That means the Kidex concessionaire is catering to the needs of the consumers (which increase their profits) and not the residents who will be negatively affected in many different ways. SNTK’S THOUGHTS ON THIS REPORT This report, commissioned independently, is obviously very damning to KIDEX. But consider the deeper truth: Kidex Sdn Bhd has been aware of all of these discrepancies from the get go and have actively been lying to the residents of PJ. Can you as a resident of PJ trust any further information provided by this company or its parent companies? In view of the growing pile of evidence that this project is bad, why are the Pakatan government intent to wait for the project to lapse? Does the MB, the state leadership, and the elected representatives of Pakatan Rakyat wish to be associate with a project rife cronyism and corruption? One of the MB’s pre-conditions is that Kidex has to show clear and substantial benefits not only to its consumers but also to the residents of Petaling Jaya. Issuing a statement declaring their personal stance or organizing a public consultation process in this matter is not nearly enough in view of the evidence presented. Thus, we put the question to the state government as this project clearly does not bring substantial benefits to the residents of Petaling Jaya: Will you cancel Kidex?
Posted on: Tue, 27 Jan 2015 13:38:45 +0000
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