Istana Alam Shah is one of several major landmarks in Klang.
IT HAS been an interesting year for the people of Selangor with the state election in August generating much buzz along with the approval, launches and cancellation of several big projects.
Klang achieving city status and the opening of the first council- run cat shelter brought cheer; while the bad news included disasters, a rabies scare and a cancelled concert.
Before we step into the new year, StarMetro gives a rundown on the main events of 2023.
State election
The Selangor government remains with Pakatan Harapan for the fourth consecutive term but this time in partnership with Barisan Nasional as a unity government.
However, the 15th state election on Aug 12 saw Pakatan lose its dominance in the 56-seat assembly.
The coalition’s seat count dropped from 45 to 34, causing it to lose its two-thirds majority, while rival Perikatan Nasional rose from just five seats to a whopping 22 seats.
Amirudin Shari returned as Mentri Besar for a second term.
Amirudin (second left) looking at a model of the upcoming WTE facility in Jeram.
Highway project scrapped
The plan to build the PJD Link elevated highway was cancelled, much to the relief of Petaling Jaya residents.
The 14.9km expressway was supposed to reduce travelling time between Damansara and Kinrara.
However, residents objected to the project due to fears over its impact on the environment.
The cancellation was announced by Amirudin, who was then the caretaker Mentri Besar, on July 31 during the state election campaigning period.
It was believed to be a ‘big carrot’ dangled by Pakatan to win the hearts of the voters.
The project, which was estimated to cost RM2bil, was approved in April last year by the previous Federal Government helmed by former prime minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob.
Following protests by Petaling Jaya folk against the proposed PJD Link, the project was cancelled in an announcement by the Mentri Besar on July 31.
New stadium
The state has approved the redevelopment of its iconic Shah Alam Stadium, a project estimated to cost between RM787mil and RM800mil. It will take three years to be completed.
Shah Alam City Council has given the go-ahead to demolish the sports facility for the project.
WTE facility
A plan to build the largest waste-to-energy (WTE) facility in Malaysia, spanning 12.14ha, kicked off in Jeram and is expected to be completed in 2026.
Estimated to cost RM1bil, the WTE facility is aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions and will generate up to 52MW of green energy for the national grid.
Seven local councils have agreed to send waste to the WTE facility that will have the capacity of processing up to 3,000 tonnes of waste daily.
SelGDX portal
The state launched the Selangor Government Data Exchange (SelGDX) portal, an integrated, big data-sharing platform spanning agencies and the public sector on Oct 20.
Selangor is the first state to have a smart governance system aimed to help the public sector become more visionary and people-centric.
Strays being cared for at the council-run cat shelter at Taman Tasik Cyberjaya.
City status for Klang
The Cabinet gave its approval to upgrade Klang to a city during a meeting in July.
Housing and Local Government Minister Nga Kor Ming said the 133-year-old town that has the country’s biggest seaport would be the fourth city in Selangor, after Petaling Jaya, Subang Jaya and Shah Alam, and 20th in the country.
Sultan of Selangor Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah is expected to make the official proclamation of Klang’s city status in February 2024.
Next in line to get the city status is believed to be Ampang Jaya and Kajang.
The iconic Shah Alam Stadium will be redeveloped.
Rabies scare
The Selangor Health Depart-ment reported two human rabies cases this year.
The first case involved a 40-year-old man from Petaling district. He was found dead in his home on March 10 and tested positive for the rabies virus during the post-mortem.
The second case was an 85-year-old man from Kuala Langat district who was last known to be receiving treatment for the disease in April.
Micromobility vehicles are being considered for use in Shah Alam.
PJ councillors’ walkout
A group of 19 councillors staged a walkout during a Petaling Jaya City Council (MBPJ) full board meeting on May 30 in protest against the mayor for disrespecting legal procedures.
At the meeting, then mayor Datuk Mohamad Azhan Md Amir pushed for the approval of a project in Lorong Sultan despite three councillors advising against it at a One Stop Centre (OSC) meeting held earlier.
The OSC had rejected the development proposal due to the plot ratio being higher than the city’s permissible limit at the time of consideration.
The developer then filed an appeal with the State Appeal Board.
The three councillors who attended the OSC meeting stressed the need for the developer to withdraw its appeal before the project could be considered by the city council for approval.
Despite that, the minutes of the OSC meeting concerning the approval were read out at the full board meeting to be endorsed by the councillors who questioned the mayor on the manner that the approval was given.
Mohamad Azhan responded that the councillors were not decision makers at OSC and were only present to give input on social and political aspects.
The councillors then left the meeting abruptly.
A recording of the full board meeting that was uploaded on MBPJ’s YouTube channel was removed on June 1.
Amiruddin commented that it was a misunderstanding.
On June 2, a cordial closed door meeting was held with the then Selangor local government, public transportation and new village development committee chairman Ng Sze Han, Mohamad Azhan and Petaling Jaya councillors to clear up the matter.
Animal management issue
In March, a MBPJ dog catcher allegedly treated senior citizen Patrick Khoo roughly during an operation at Jalan 18/17 in Taman Kanagapuram.
Khoo’s three adult dogs and a puppy were caught that day.
The incident went viral and raised the ire of the public.
Khoo claimed that the dog catcher swiped a dog-catching loop against his face during a tussle. He lodged a police report but the MBPJ officer was not charged as the action was deemed unintentional.
Prosecutors, however, charged Khoo instead with obstructing a civil servant from performing his duties under Section 186 of the Penal Code.
The matter was resolved after both parties agreed to withdraw the case.
Following the incident, mayor Mohamad Azhan invited 26 animal welfare groups to share their knowledge on animal handling. He said the city council was committed to managing strays better.
Assessment tax increase
Kajang Municipal Council president Nazli Md Taib announced an increase in assessment tax for property owners by 20% to 30%, based on valuation in 2020.
The last revision was done in 1985. To cushion the impact of the hike, the assessment tax will be implemented in two phases, 50% next year and fully in 2025.
Nazli taking his oath as MPKj president.
Disasters
The much-awaited report on the Batang Kali landslide on Dec 16 last year was made public on Oct 17, which brought some closure to the victims and families.
In a statement, Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said the landslide at the Father’s Organic Farm campsite along the Batang Kali-Genting stretch was triggered by significant rainfall and not due to anthropogenic (caused or influenced by humans) activity.
The tragedy involved 92 victims, of which 61 survived.
It pushed the government to formulate comprehensive guidelines on camping site operations.
In Puchong, a downpour caught the people off-guard.
On Dec 16, IOI Mall Puchong was flooded, affecting 65 cars and 71 shops.
The same day, a landslide in Jalan Wawasan 3/9 swallowed four cars. Occupants of nine houses were evacuated. Stabilisation works are still underway.
Festival called off
The 10th Good Vibes Festival (GVF) that was supposed to take place from July 21 to 23 ended abruptly on the first day following controversial conduct by participating British pop rock band, The 1975.
The revocation order came after band frontman Matt Healy slammed the Malaysian government over laws concerning lesbians, gays, bisexual and transsexual people.
He also kissed his male bandmate Ross MacDonald on stage in front of a packed crowd at the Sepang International Circuit.
Organiser Future Sound Asia offered refunds to ticket holders.
Micromobility vehicles
In March, the Transport Ministry selected Shah Alam as the test site to gauge the feasibility of operating micromobility vehicles.
Section 14 and the commercial area in Section 7 were among the areas identified for the one-year test to look into enforcement, licensing and infrastructure matters.
Platinum-rated hospital
Hospital Cyberjaya, the first platinum-rated government hospital under the Green Building Index certification, was launched in March.
The hospital costing RM508mil comes under the 11th Malaysia Plan. It was handed over to the Finance Ministry and Health Ministry on June 30, 2021, and began operations in November last year.
First council-run cat shelter
Sepang Municipal Council set up the state’s first council-run cat shelter at Taman Tasik Cyberjaya.
Cats are treated and neutered at the facility before they are put up for adoption.
The project cost RM435,000 and was funded by the local council, with help via corporate sponsorships and public donations.
Change of leadership
Ani is the first woman to helm MPAJ.
Several local authorities saw a change at the helm.
Ampang Jaya Municipal Council (MPAJ) appointed its first woman president Dr Ani Ahmad on May 2.
Ani, formerly the Hulu Langat district officer, replaced Mohd Fauzi Mohd Yatim who held the post from 2020.
Mohd Fauzi was sworn in as Subang Jaya mayor the next day (May 3), replacing Datuk Johary Anuar, who went on to serve as deputy state secretary (development).
Kajang Municipal Council (MPKj) also appointed a new president, Nazli Md Taib. This followed the departure of Najmuddin Jemain whose tenure ended on Oct 19.
Nazli was sworn in on Nov 16. Previously, he served as deputy secretary for the Health Ministry development division.
Shah Alam has an acting mayor, Cheremi Tarman, who was sworn in on Oct 27.
The former Shah Alam mayor Dr Nor Fuad Abdul Hamid was transferred to the Transport Ministry to serve as deputy chief secretary (management) on the same day.
