This article will provide some details regarding the controversial matter of the lands near the Ayer Hitam Forest. The lands are in my constituency, specifically in Kinrara. It relates to lands totaling 168 acres and is an issue that I have been highlighting since December 2025.
This is a summarized chronology of the 168 acres of lands near the Ayer Hitam Forest Reserve;
- In 2006, the Government of Selangor then under Barisan Nasional rule, wanted to develop the lands into a housing project under a joint venture arrangement. The residents of Kinrara objected and protested to the project. Several DAP leaders including YB Teresa Kok and YB Gobind Singh publicly fought against the project, promising to cancel the project and to resolve the issue if Pakatan Rakyat comes to power in Selangor.
- On 8th of March 2008, the Pakatan Rakyat won and took over the Selangor Government.
- Fast forward some 17 years later, on 11th November 2025, community leaders of 15 nearby Tamans, received notice to take part in a Social Impact Assessment (“SIA”) study to be conducted by Asia Pacific Environmental Consultant Sdn Bhd.
- On 14th November 2015, the SIA meeting was done via zoom where it was revealed by the consultants that a developer, Perano Properties Development Sdn Bhd (“Perano) intends to develop the lands into seven buildings of 3-storey each, and nine buildings of 17-storey each on the lands. The SIA zoom session greatly alarmed the residents, many of whom took part in the 2006 protest.
- On 10th December 2025, some of the residents came to my office to lodge a complaint about the project. On 15th December 2025, I called for a press conference on the matter and wrote a letter to the Selangor Government requesting for a reply. Unfortunately, the Selangor Government did not reply to my letter, and subsequently I called for another three press conferences and issued three more letters, the last being on the 16th April 2026.
- On 24th April 2026, the MB of Selangor, YAB Dato’ Seri Amirudin Shari (“MB”) finally issued an official statement on the lands.
The core issues at hand are as follows and have everything to do with good governance principles of transparency and accountability.
- The fact that the Selangor Government refused to give me a reply for more than four months is not good practice of transparency and accountability. Due to the said four months of silence from the Selangor Government, my office had no choice but to do our own research. We conducted multiple land transaction searches with the National Property Information Centre (NAPIC).
- According to NAPIC data that we acquired which are admittedly, still missing a few tiny plots and thus is incomplete, we learned that in 2012 approximately 30 acres of the lands were sold by the Selangor Government to Perano, the developer that commissioned the SIA on 14th November 2025. The buyer Perano, is a subsidiary of Jakel Group, and that these lands were sold at a price of RM13.80 per sq ft. Another set of NAPIC data, show that another 138 acres, was sold to Perano at the same price of RM13.80 per sq ft.
- The MB official statement on 24th April 2026, suggested that all the 168 acres of lands were in fact sold in 2012, but was only completed in 2022 due to a judicial review case. The MB did confirm that the lands were sold at RM13.80 per sq ft.
- Nevertheless, there remains two big issues; the first being the price of the transaction. Was it too cheap or was the price fair? The MB said that there was a valuer and that they sold slightly above value. However, I recently pointed out that nearby bungalow lands in Puteri 12, Kinrara are now selling at a whopping RM350.00 per sq ft.
- The second issue is the most problematic and has to be answered by the Selangor Government. Why did the Pakatan Rakyat and or Pakatan Harapan Government of Selangor sell the lands to Perano, when in 2006, DAP politicians had promised to the people of Kinrara to stop all future development projects on the same lands. Why the change of stance from being against any developments in 2006 to ending up selling the land for development, six years later in 2012?
Until, we get better and definitive information, I will continue to urge the Selangor Government to provide more clarity and transparency. I am also awaiting the official State Government reply to the ADUN question by YB Chua Wei Kiat (at time of writing this, the Selangor Government reply has not been given yet).
Lastly, as proposed in my previous press statements, the Selangor Government must make a real effort to buy back some, if not all, the lands from Perano and then re-gazette these lands as Forest Reserve and protect these precious hillslopes. Whatever happens, the core transparency and accountability issues must also be resolved with definitive and comprehensive explanations given to my constituents.
