Be strong FT Minister

By ELISE YEE

Dear Minister of Federal Territory Khalid Samad,

In less than 2 months to be exact, marks the first anniversary of the rebirth of the New Malaysia.
For the first time ever, a change of government took place since independence. The thoughts of it is still surreal, to many of us. It was one of those shocking and unprecedented events where none of us really thought that day would come.

It is not too much to say that May 9 makes the sweetest memory in every Malaysian’s wildest democratic dreams and hopes, an event that definitely changes the Malaysian History, forever.
YB Minister,

I am writing to you to express my support for you as the Minister of Federal Territory, being the person who overlooks the administration of Kuala Lumpur.

Why, because literally Kuala Lumpur has witnessed everything it takes for May 9 to come true. From students organizing Occupy Merdeka protest, to series of peaceful assemblies, with the most memorable one being a massive crowd of half a million Malaysians flooding the city centre throughout a 34-hour long rally.

YB Minister,
For I have been religiously following current issues revolving Kuala Lumpur, I can’t help but would like to share my thoughts and concern in regard to some of the controversial projects that has been lingering around longer than it should, since you came to office.

Taman Rimba Kiara project saga surely has gotten a lot of attention. I am sure you are aware of a dedicated Facebook page being setup to attack you, your Ministry and DBKL, just to make things look out of hand, with other small petty issues.

To me this attempt is fine if they are being truthful with their identity and wanted to share all their unresolved anger and dissatisfactions, but it such a shame when a group of some grown up adults apparently decided to hide their identity behind a Facebook Account. And how are they any different to the cybertroopers during the previous BN regime?

With the mounting pressures and exhaustion from so many parties who are only thinking of themselves, I have to praise you YB, for standing up for the 100 families living in the longhouses and their second generations. For staying true to the promises made by the developer, which resulted these residents to stay in such a miserable living condition in the longhouse in the first place.

I praised you, YB, for putting these low earning income rakyat, basically the poor, into top considerations, acknowledging the fact that these longhouse residents need to have their promises fulfilled too, and we must not simply disregard them for whatever reasons or excuses.

They are also voters that made it possible for Pakatan Harapan to be in Putrajaya today. They are probably less educated due to a lot limitations in their life, but it does not mean they are lesser beings. Their voices and interests matter too. In fact, they should be in the top priority, because they need a great leader like you to defend them and protect them, or else they will fall as another “victims” again.

People can simply throw the easiest way out as solution. This includes other Kuala Lumpur members of Parliament who claimed to have fought long and hard against this Project to save Rimba Kiara.

I can’t help but wonder how can they not think that the compensation to the Developer will not be such a huge waste, should your Ministry and DBKL take on their suggestion to cancel this project?
Ask any person with the right state of mind, RM115 million for an agreed minimum damage sum is clearly no small amount of money!

I would like to also urge Taman Tun Dr Ismail residents not to be selfish because this issue will be no end if they continue fighting over something that has been decided by the court as legal.

It drains the time and energy when it could be channeled to focus on working towards a greater and improved Kuala Lumpur. After all, they already have the balance of 17 acres plus a 370 acres national park nearby, and the size of the project has also been reasonably reduced too.

By YB Minister,

I read the piece you wrote entitled “The Minister and The Myths” and could relate your point on “compromise” in this project issue. People tend to forget that we need to compromise a lot of things in life in order to continue living in peace and harmony.

If we can’t learn to compromise, then it will eventually lead to a very rigid society to live in when no tolerance is practiced. Unfriendly and arrogant too, I imagined. Definitely not a neighborhood we all know.

I am not talking about tolerance in religion practice and customs only. How about tolerance and empathy on the needs of the less fortunate? For the things that have befallen them, the ones that have been holding on to the promise of developers and had no other means but to wait for their compensation house?

YB Minister,
I have faith in the wise decisions made by you and your ministry. A “saving” of RM115 million is definitely more worthy to be spent on the wellbeing of the Kuala Lumpur citizens as a whole. The homeless, the elderly, in fact animal shelters too, and so many more.

They say if our enemies/people are giving all sorts of berserk reactions when we do something guided by our clear conscience, that means we are doing the right thing.

Stay strong and persistence, YB! Keep working for the rakyat, the less fortunate ones especially. You will never go wrong when you are guided by clear principles.