KUALA Lumpur residents have been warned against abusing public consultation sessions conducted by Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL) to seek personal benefits when objecting to proposed developments.
Minister in the Prime Minister's Department (Federal Territories) Hannah Yeoh said it had come to her attention that some residents had been making demands such as discounts on units, gadgets, cash, vouchers, flight tickets, home renovations and even new curtains during the consultation process.
"If these requests are not given, protests against the proposed developments would be amplified and submitted to DBKL. Developers are afraid that this would throw a spanner in the works if they do not fulfil these requests," she said.
Yeoh noted the scenario was different if requests were for the betterment of the entire community, such as the construction of a sound barrier, fencing to improve security, building a jogging track or upgrading a public park.
"The moment the consultation process is abused for personal gains, a clear line must be drawn. Sometimes this can happen even in licence applications especially if support is needed from the residents' or traders' association," she said in a Facebook post on Saturday (March 7).
Yeoh added that it was important to ensure that consultation and good governance platforms provided by DBKL were not abused for personal gain, stating she believed that "he who comes to equity must come with clean hands."
She also urged developers or licence applicants to channel information on such incidents to aduanintegriti@dbkl.gov.my so that the Mayor and DBKL could properly assess the weight of the protests submitted.
