Unfeasible! PKR MP Lee Chean Chung’s proposal that KL returns to Selangor

The proposal by Petaling Jaya (PJ) PKR MP Lee Chean Chung that Kuala Lumpur (KL) be returned to Selangor to create a "mega metropolis" is totally unfeasible.

Lee’s proposal appears parallel with the intention by Kedah Menteri Besar Dato’ Seri Sanusi Md Nor to recover Penang into Kedah’s fold to enjoy Penang’s economic achievements as “Penang historically belongs to Kedah.” Hence, what’s the difference?

His statement that the reunification of KL with Selangor could see an increase in land banks which could be used to provide more affordable homes needs to rebuked as it reveals that the PJ MP has not done any homework at all.

As more and more citizens working in KL have begun moving to other states such as Selangor and even Negeri Sembilan, this proves that KL is confronted by a combined predicament of land shortage, steep home ownership prices and a dense population. Thus, how could more land banks be obtained to construct affordable housing?

KL’s traffic congestion woes are worsening, especially during weekends and public holidays. Bringing more residents into this metropolis is akin to placing the cart before the horse.

Although history records that KL was once the capital of Selangor, it is not feasible to re-incorporate KL into Selangor today. Kuala Lumpur achieved city status on 1 February 1972, becoming the first settlement in Malaysia to be granted the status after independence. The signing of the 1974 Federal Territory of Kuala Lumpur Agreement signified the official handling of Kuala Lumpur territory over to the Federal Government, which resulted in the establishment of the Federal Territory on 1 February 1974. Later, KL ceased to be capital of Selangor after the city of Shah Alam was declared the new state capital. Due to limited land banks and as KL was overcrowded, the federal  government then decided to construct Putrajaya in the late 1990s in an effort to relocate more administrative agencies out of KL to alleviate the congestion in the capital city.

Secondly, it is comprehensible that Lee, as an MP for a Selangor constituency, wants to re-integrate KL into Selangor to empower Selangor’s financial prowess. However, as Selangor has more resources and geographical advantages than KL, the state can be self-reliant.

Lee had also proposed that the return of Selangor to KL would also mean that voters would get 2 ballots each ie voting for a State Assemblyman. In this aspect, I agree that KL residents should and must be given a second vote.

However, this does not mean that KL residents should vote in Selangor’s state polls or that KL should return to Selangor. Instead, the federal government should start promoting the reinstatement of local council elections in KL and return the mandate to the people. This will enable KL residents to vote in the best elected representatives to govern Kuala Lumpur, instead of the current status quo where Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL) has the final say.

-MCA online-