DAP rep: Return KL to Selangor
DBKL has been ineffective in improving the administration of KL, says DAP’s Lau Weng San.
Alyaa Azhar, FMT
Kampung Tunku DAP state assemblyman Lau Weng San today urged the federal government to return the Federal Territory of Kuala Lumpur to Selangor.
“The federal government should return the administration of Kuala Lumpur to the Selangor state government after alienating Kuala Lumpur to the federal government 39 years ago.
“In 1974, the then Barisan Nasional government decided to alienate Kuala Lumpur as a whole to the federal government’s administration, which is politically motivated by ostensibly upgrading Kuala Lumpur as a ‘federal territory’,” said Lau.
Kuala Lumpur was then placed under the administration of Dewan Bandaraya Kuala Lumpur (DBKL), which was led by Kuala Lumpur’s mayor.
Lau claimed that after 39 years under the direct administration of DBKL, “DBKL was ineffective in improving the administration of Kuala Lumpur to a point where DBKL was adopted by Permudah to ‘restore’ DBKL.”
He further asserted that it occurred because KL has been administered by way of centralisation of power in the hands of the Mayor and Federal Territories Minister.
“The citizens of Kuala Lumpur hadn’t any chance to voice their point of view when the decision was made to alienate Kuala Lumpur to the federal government,” claimed Lau, adding that the decision to alienate Kuala Lumpur to the federal government was done in a rush.
“Furthermore, the federal government has Putrajaya as central administration to replace Kuala Lumpur. And in 1974, the federal government only paid RM200 million as compensation to the Selangor government as ‘acquisition’ of Kuala Lumpur.
“Annually, the Selangor government only receives RM18.3 million from the federal government in compensating yield loss from alienating Kuala Lumpur and Putrajaya as Federal Territories to the federal government,” said Lau.
He reiterated that therefore the federal government has to return Kuala Lumpur to Selangor since the federal government already has Putrajaya.
“Kuala Lumpur resembles the lifeblood of the Selangor state. It is not only that Kuala Lumpur is physically close to Selangor, but many of Selangor’s historical moments and events occurred in Kuala Lumpur.
“My objective of repeating this call is to remind the federal government that they should not be silent on this matter anymore.
“In fact, the federal government should acknowledge the role of the Selangor government in matters related to the development and management of Kuala Lumpur,” he said.