MBPJ councillors walk out after heated argument with mayor

PETALING JAYA: For the first time, councillors from PKR and DAP staged a walkout from the Petaling Jaya City Council (MBPJ) full board meeting after a heated argument with mayor Datuk Mohd Azizi Mohd Zain.
The walkout started after Zone 16 councillor Terence Tan was "invited" by the mayor to leave the meeting room, after Tan constantly requested for voting to be conducted so that the decision to reward a plot ratio of eight to KUB Malaysia Sdn Bhd for its development on the site of the iconic A&W restaurant, could be brought back to the One-Stop Centre (OSC) for review and fine-tuning.
Among those who walked out were seven from DAP, two representing NGOs and one from PKR. The meeting was attended by 23 out of the 24 councillors.
The OSC had approved KUB's development application at a recent meeting.
"We are not trying to reverse OSC's decision, we just wish for a more 'refined' decision to be made for the benefit of the area.
"This is because according to the Transit-Oriented Development (TOD) point system which MBPJ has adopted since 2016, the correct plot ratio allowed to KUB is 7.2 and not 8 due to their failure to provide a centralised park in their proposed development," Tan told reporters during a brief press conference after the walkout.
Prior to the meeting, Bukit Gasing assemblyman R. Rajiv told the media that the iconic A&W fast food restaurant located along Lorong Sultan would be demolished to make way for development at the 0.4 ha site.
"Landowner KUB Malaysia Sdn Bhd has received MBPJ's approval to build a 20-storey office tower inclusive of a four-storey car parking space at the site. even though the initial development plan submitted was for a 36-storey building.
"Though slightly saddened by the decision, I will still respect it as it is a privately owned land," Rajiv said during a press conference before the full board meeting commenced.
Commenting on the walkout, Rajiv said it is totally unacceptable for the mayor to "invite" any councillor to leave the full board meeting as all the councillor was trying to do was to express his dissatisfaction towards the decision made at the OSC meeting and to call for a vote so that the decision could be brought back to OSC for review.
He added that councillors have the right to speak up on any decision as well as the right to call for a vote if there are clear disagreements between the councillors and the mayor.
Agreeing with Rajiv's statement, councillor Lim Yi Wei said Section 31 of MBPJ 's standing orders stated that any councillor can propose for any decision, opinion or reports by any committee to be delayed so that such decision can be reviewed by the relevant committee prior to a final decision by the council.
"This is in fact the provision that allows us the councillors the right to refer the decision made by any committee inclusive of OSC to be referred back to them for a review," Lim said.
When contacted by theSun, Selangor Local Government, New Village Development and Legalising of Factories Committee chairman Ean Yong Hian Wah said that the councillors will be having a press conference tomorrow to address the walkout issue.