Tetapkan Pendirian dan Semangat

Stay focused, strong people! Don't let certain issues divert us from the real objective.

Perjuangan Pembela Pondok Kempas bukan lah sesuatu yang mudah. Ia mungkin mengambil masa bertahun-tahun, kalau pun tidak berbulan-bulan. Seperti beberapa kes 'seangkatan' yang kita baca di akhbar-akhbar. Bertahun-tahun mereka membantah. Pelbagai usaha yang dilakukan. Pelbagai orang mereka dah jumpa, bigwigs, smallwigs, wigless, blablabla...

Mudah-mudahan kesabaran dan semangat itu akan terus hidup. Dan diharap usaha penduduk-penduduk akan membuahkan hasil secepat mungkin, insyaallah.

Terbaca beberapa report yang 'seangkatan' dengan perjuangan Pembela Pondok Kempas. Penduduk-penduduk di beberapa penempatan di Selangor sedang membantah satu projek 'multi-racial cemetery' semenjak 2004. Until now, their case is still pending. Mudah-mudahan ada sedikit kekuatan yang dapat dikutip dari usaha mereka.

The Star, Tuesday June 23 2009 - Decision on cemetery project in three months

THE Selangor state government has promised to make a decision on the cemetery project at the Ayer Hitam Forest Reserve in less than three months.

"This issue is beyond the state planning committee and will be discussed by the Selangor Economic Action Council (MTES). A special session will be held in July by the state executive councillors before we make a decision," state housing, building management and squatters committee chairman Iskandar Abdul Samad said at the Subang Jaya Draft Local Plan hearing held at the Subang Jaya Municipal Council (MPSJ) complex yesterday.

A group of 20 residents, on behalf of the Signature Campaign Teamwork (SCT, which comprises representatives from Bandar Bukit Puchong, Taman Saujana Puchong, Gateway Puchong, Lestari Puchong and Mutiara Indah), submitted a memorandum to state tourism, consumer affairs and environment chairman Elizabeth Wong and MPSJ president Datuk Adnan Md Ikshan to reinstate their strong objection against the cemetery project.

"This cemetery, if built, will be located right next to our homes. We have been fighting for the abortion of this project since April 2004. We have asked the government to move the project to a place far away from residential areas. This is also to ensure that the Ayer Hitam Forest Reserve remains as it is to preserve the environment," SCT member Ng Chee Kwong said.

He added that the court case pertaining to this issue had been put on hold indefinitely for the Selangor government to make a decision.

Malay Mail, 05-12-2005

About 2,000 residents of Taman Saujana Puchong are facing a grave problem.

They are upset with the Subang Jaya Municipal Council (MPSJ) over a proposed plan to turn a neighbouring 50-acre forest reserve into a cemetery, and build a crematorium there, as well.
Originally, there was a plan by developer Talam Corporation Berhad to build a road across the said plot of land to connect Taman Saujana Puchong to Taman Lestari Putra.

What has irked them is that except for two residents, the rest were not consulted by MPSJ.
For the residents, there is also the fear that the crematorium would not only affect their health but items like burial ceremony paraphernalia would breed mosquitoes.
They also fear the value of their houses would be badly affected by the cemetery and crematorium.

At 10am yesterday, about 400 residents carrying banners and placards, staged a peaceful protest in front of the forest reserve. Some of the banners and placards read, "Kami membantah cadangan pembinaan KUBUR di kawasan Saujana Puchong", "Go move to Putrajaya"!.

During the gathering, they also carried out a signature campaign to be submitted to MPSJ. Over the past three months, they have collected 1,535 signatures.

Campaign pro-tem committee chairman Roland Chong said residents were unhappy with MPSJ as they were not informed about the proposed plan. "Logically, how can a forest reserve be turned into a cemetery?," he asked.

The Malay Mail learnt the forest reserve is an agricultural park owned by Universiti Putra Malaysia.

According to Chong, the residents heard about the plan in April last year, when an MPSJ officer informed them. On April 25, two owners whose houses are located close to the forest reserve, each received a letter from MPSJ, stating the State Government was proposing to build a cemetery on the plot of land. The duo were asked to submit their objections, if any.

"Why did the MPSJ send the letter only to the two house owners? What about the rest of us? We too, have the right to know. We bought our house with our hard-earned money. Of course, we want the value of our investment to keep increasing. With the cemetery, the value will go down. Who wants to buy a house which fronts a cemetery?," asked Chong.

A resident, Yew Mun Kong, said: "Smoke from a crematorium will cause health hazards, while items used during burial ceremonies, if not properly disposed of, will become a breeding ground for mosquitoes," he said.

Orang Asli resident Abu Bocho claimed the proposed plan would affect his income, and those of 14 other Orang Asli. "We have a 75-ha of orchard with palm trees, rubber trees and durian trees on the forest reserve. If our orchard is taken up for the cemetery, we will lose our income."

TheStar Metro 24-Jan-2006 - Grave issue irks residents

RESIDENTS and property owners in Taman Saujana Puchong have begun a fund-raising campaign to initiate legal proceedings against the Selangor state government and the Subang Jaya Municipal Council.

The residents are protesting against a proposed project to turn part of a forest reserve, located adjacent to Taman Saujana Puchong and Taman Lestari Putra, into a multi-racial cemetery and crematorium.

Pro tem committee chairman Roland Chong said: "Out of 1,983 occupied households in the area, we collected 1,701 signatures in October last year. The majority are definitely against the project," he said.