With YAB Azmin Ali's pronouncement putting an end to the proposed Kidex highway, which is bypassing the heart of Petaling Jaya, we are one with the residents of our affected constituencies who are thankful that this issue has finally come to a close.
We would also want to commend YAB Azmin Ali's commitment to the rakyat when he objectively made the decision based on the fact that Kidex has failed to meet at of the 3 conditions set by the Selangor State Government back in November 2014, namely:
1. The concessionaire must provide a traffic impact and other relevant studies demonstrating substantial benefit for commuters in terms of reducing traffic congestion and travel time.
2. There must be full transparency on the rate of return of the highway including the toll rates to be charged. This is to ensure that there will be no astronomical profits for the concessionaire and unfair burden on the users.
3. In line with the transparency and accountability practice of the state government, Azmin Ali also demanded that the concession agreement must be fully disclosed to the public.
Despite an ample time of 3 months given, Kidex Sdn Bhd has not taken the necessary steps to attempt to meet this conditions. No party should cry foul, as the conditions set by the state government was clear and measurable, with a sufficient timeline provided. The decision was not made on any whims or fancies but rather on measurable criteria.
Throughout the past year and a half, Pakatan Rakyat's elected representatives and councilors continuously raised concerns of the proposed highway at every stage, to ensure only the best for the residents of our constituencies. Even MBPJ had refused to incorporate Kidex into its Petaling Jaya Local Plan, as Kidex had yet to demonstrate its benefit to Petaling Jaya.
Traffic studies have since come to show that this highway not only does not benefit Petaling Jaya much, those travelling to and fro Petaling Jaya will also not benefit much from Kidex, with an average time savings of only 2.6% for all journeys made to and from Petaling Jaya and other parts of the Klang Valley.
This groundbreaking decision made by Azmin sets the tone of how the Pakatan Rakyat - run states are different from those governed by Barisan Nasional. While Pakatan Rakyat govern using fairness, transparency, and facts, Barisan Nasional continues to not honour their words, as shown by how the Minister of Works has once again extended Kidex' deadline to fulfil the conditions of their concessionaire agreement.
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