Green Promises Broken at Ayer Hitam
I write this not as an activist or politician, but as a resident of Bandar Kinrara whose daily life, home investment, and trust in governance are directly affected by the proposed redevelopment bordering the Ayer Hitam Forest Reserve.
Like many others here, I bought
my home with a clear expectation: that the greenery in front of my house; part
of one of the last remaining forest lungs in this part of Selangor would remain
protected. Today, that expectation is being quietly dismantled.
The controversy surrounding the
Ayer Hitam Forest Reserve is not merely about land use. It is about
credibility, governance, and political accountability at a time when Selangor’s
leadership can least afford to appear dismissive of public sentiment.
Residents are repeatedly told
that the disputed 68.4 hectares is “not technically part of the forest reserve”
and was degazetted nearly a century ago. This legalistic argument may be
convenient, but it is deeply unsatisfactory.
Laws evolve, values evolve, and
so should policy. The fact that land was removed from a forest reserve in 1926 during
colonial administration does not absolve today’s government of responsibility
to protect what little green space remains in an overbuilt Klang Valley.
What is particularly troubling is
how this issue surfaced. Residents learned of potential development not through
transparent planning disclosures or proactive engagement, but through Social
Impact Assessment briefings initiated by consultants before any formal
development application had even been submitted to the Subang Jaya City Council
(MBSJ). This reverses the spirit, if not the letter, of participatory urban
planning. Consultation after decisions is functionally made is not
consultation; it is damage control.
The call by Subang MP Wong Chen
for full disclosure of the land’s historical transactions, ownership transfers,
and pricing is therefore entirely justified. Selangor has a Freedom of
Information Enactment for a reason. If the state government truly believes it
has acted in the public interest, transparency should not be feared.
Instead, residents are left
guessing: Who owns the land now? At what price did it change hands? And if the
state is now considering reacquiring it, will taxpayers once again foot the
bill for opaque decisions made earlier?
Environmental concerns are not
abstract here. Ayer Hitam Forest Reserve is not a decorative green patch as it
is an ecological buffer, a research forest, and a natural cooling system for
surrounding neighbourhoods.
Development at its edge risks
more than tree loss. It threatens increased flooding, traffic congestion, heat
stress, and long-term degradation of the forest itself. Anyone who lives in
Bandar Kinrara or Puchong knows our roads are already saturated and our
infrastructure strained.
Yet what makes this issue
politically explosive is its timing and pattern.
Ayer Hitam does not stand alone.
In Gombak, Indian settlements near Batu Caves face displacement under
redevelopment plans that remain vague on relocation outcomes. In Klang, Kampung
Jalan Papan residents have experienced forced evictions despite long-standing
promises of replacement housing.
In all cases, communities that
supported Pakatan Harapan in multiple elections now feel marginalised, unheard,
or misled.
Selangor has long been considered
Pakatan Harapan’s strongest bastion. That strength, however, was built on more
than electoral arithmetic. It was built on a promise: good governance,
transparency, and people-first decision-making. When these principles appear
compromised especially on land, housing, and environmental issues: the
political cost can be severe.
With GE16 approaching, it would
be dangerously complacent to assume voter loyalty is automatic. Opposition
parties such as Perikatan Nasional, Bersatu, and PAS are already adept at
exploiting governance failures, particularly when they intersect with environmental
destruction, broken promises, or perceived elitism. They will not need to
fabricate narratives; they merely need to amplify what residents are already
feeling.
For middle-class homeowners like
myself, this is not about ideology. It is about trust. I invested my life
savings in a home overlooking greenery, believing state planning frameworks
would protect such spaces. If that assurance proves hollow, it sends a chilling
signal: that no green space, no matter how valued, is truly safe from
redevelopment once land values rise high enough.
This is why I urge three key institutions to act decisively:
the Subang Jaya City Council, the Selangor State Government, and the elected
representatives at both state and federal levels for the affected
constituencies.
Local councils must stop hiding
behind procedural technicalities and insist on environmental primacy in
planning decisions. The state government must go beyond saying “no application
has been submitted” and instead commit clearly - politically and morally to
preserving Ayer Hitam as a forest reserve.
Furthermore, His Royal Highness
Sultan of Selangor, as a constitutional monarch deeply respected for
safeguarding Selangor’s natural heritage, has both the authority and moral
weight to ensure that short-term development pressures do not permanently scar
the state.
Re-gazetting the land as part of
the Ayer Hitam Forest Reserve would send a powerful message: that Selangor’s
leadership still understands stewardship, still listens, and still governs with
foresight.
Failure to do so will not only
destroy a forest edge. It will erode public confidence, fracture long-standing
political support, and confirm the growing fear among residents that promises
of reform were conditional - valid only until inconvenient.
Ayer Hitam is a test. Not of
legality, but of leadership.
17.12.2025
Kuala Lumpur.
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