Latest news with #PJSejahtera
The Star
2 days ago
- Business
- The Star
PJ folk against privatising street parking in Selangor
DOZENS OF Petaling Jaya residents are urging the Selangor government to scrap its street parking privatisation plan. The new Selangor Intelligent Parking (SIP) system will take effect on Aug 1 in four local councils - Petaling Jaya, Subang Jaya, Shah Alam and Selayang. Under the new plan, a concessionnaire appointed by state investment arm Menteri Besar Incorporated (MBI) will handle fee collection. A town hall meeting, organised by PJ Sejahtera, was held on Sunday (July 27) involving elected representatives and stakeholders in Petaling Jaya. PJ Sejahtera is a coalition of resident associations, civil society groups and other stakeholders. Petaling Jaya MP Lee Chean Chung, who was part of a four-person panel, questioned the sudden move to privatise street parking. 'The current parking system is working well and there are no complaints among the public,' he said. 'If there are issues, then local councils should be given space to attend to them and fix them." Former Petaling Jaya MP Maria Chin Abdullah called on the state government to be more transparent on the issue. 'Who decided on the implementation of SIP? So far, the information has been coming out in drips, which does not help with transparency,' she said. Former Selangor exco member Ronnie Liu raised doubts over the legality of SIP, saying the right to charge parking was given to local councils under the Road Transport Act 1987. Activist and journalist R. Nadeswaran said revenue from parking should go toward local authorities to fund their services for residents. Also present was Bukit Gasing assemblyman Rajiv Rishyakaran. Earlier on Sunday, mayor Mohamad Zahri Samingon said Petaling Jaya City Council (MBPJ) had conditionally accepted the state government's decision to privatise street parking in the city. He, however, stressed that any deal must guarantee that MBPJ receives the same amount of revenue from parking fees as before. Sunday's town hall meeting was the latest blow to the SIP implementation, after a petition by four Selangor MPs on Friday, calling on the state government to form a committee to review the move. The other representatives are Selayang MP William Leong, Shah Alam MP Azli Yusof and Subang MP Wong Chen. Taman Medan assemblyman Dr Afif Bahardin, at Sunday's town hall, questioned if the MPs, who were from the Pakatan Harapan coalition, had discussed the proposal at party level before bringing it to the state executive council meeting. 'Don't you have a WhatsApp group to discuss issues? It seems that there is a disconnect between decisions made at state level and backbenchers,' he said.
Free Malaysia Today
13-07-2025
- Business
- Free Malaysia Today
PJ groups against Selangor parking privatisation plan
PJ Sejahtera and Persatuan Petaling Jaya Lestari said since parking is a local government resource, the revenue from parking fees must go directly to the respective local councils for the benefit of the residents. PETALING JAYA : Two groups here have called for the Selangor government to cancel a concession to a company granting it the right to take over parking fee collection and enforcement in Petaling Jaya and three other Selangor local councils from Aug 1. PJ Sejahtera and Persatuan Petaling Jaya Lestari said parking is a local council resource, and revenue derived from it must be channelled directly to the respective local councils who manage them for the benefit of their residents. The groups want the state government to provide detailed information on the vendor selection process and associated procurement documentation, including the final contract. They also called for the state government to reaffirm the local councils' rights to fully manage parking in their jurisdictions. In a statement today, the groups said Petaling Jaya may stand to lose RM10 million annually from the move, and that the councils' powers to collect parking fees under the Road Transport Act 1987 were being undermined. They called for a public enquiry to be convened over how the decision to privatise parking at the four local councils was reached. They said the lack of transparency was concerning as there were no public consultations held before the decision to appoint the company. 'This issue is not just about parking but also about public accountability, respect for local government autonomy, as well as responsible and transparent resource management and finance,' they said. PJ Sejahtera is part of a coalition of residents' associations, civil society organisations and other stakeholders which work to ensure sustainable, equitable, and participatory development. Persatuan Petaling Jaya Lestari is an NGO which advocates sustainable development, eco sustainability, and transparent governance. On Wednesday, local government and tourism committee chairman Ng Suee Lim announced that Rantaian Mesra Sdn Bhd will assume responsibility for parking fee collection and enforcement across four local councils in Selangor beginning Aug 1 under the Smart Intelligent Parking (SIP) system. The revenue generated will be distributed evenly, with 50% allocated to the concessionaire and the remaining 50% retained by the state. Of the state's share, 40% will be directed to the local councils, while the remaining 10% will go to Menteri Besar Selangor Incorporated. Ng said the company was selected through an open tender process via a request for proposal which initially attracted interest from 26 companies, after which three were shortlisted. Rantaian Mesra was awarded the contract for the initial phase of the SIP system, which encompasses the Petaling Jaya, Subang Jaya, Shah Alam, and Selayang local councils. Ng said the initiative forms part of the state government's broader strategy to enhance parking revenue, which currently reflects a collection rate of only about 30% from the 1,000 designated parking bays.
