SACF urges Selangor govt to stop road construction until judicial review appeal conclusion

SHAH ALAM Community Forest (SACF) Society is urging the Selangor government to stop road construction at SACF until the ongoing judicial review appeal of the forest’s status has concluded.

SACF society said in a statement that the construction of a road cutting across the Shah Alam Community Forest in Section U10 has begun despite an ongoing legal case concerning the status of the forest, of which the Selangor government is a defendant.

In August 2022, SACF Society and Pertubuhan Pelindung Khazanah Alam (Peka) Malaysia filed a judicial review of this degazettement document as they believe that the state government has acted unlawfully in excising the land retrospectively without prior notice, any replacement forest area and a public inquiry.

The statement also said that the Selangor government issued a degazettement notification of the Bukit Cherakah forest corridor which includes the SACF in May 2022 but the effective date of the degazettement was backdated 22 years to November 2000.

The judicial review was however, rejected by the Shah Alam High Court while a subsequent appeal to the Court of Appeal was also dismissed in January this year.

SACF Society and Peka Malaysia then filed an appeal to the Federal Court, awaiting a hearing date.

According to the statement, the society has also sent an urgent appeal to Selangor public health and environment committee chairman Jamaliah Jamaluddin to halt the road construction pending the ongoing judicial review appeal application.

“We urge the Selangor government to do the right thing and prioritise the public’s interest above all else.

“If the road plan is to proceed, it is the duty of the Selangor government, specifically Jamaliah’s office, to ensure or guarantee that the impact on the forest and its inhabitants is minimal.

“A good example to emulate is the Penchala Tunnel in Kuala Lumpur which allows wildlife to cross above it.

“As a defendant, the Selangor government must also respect the ongoing public interest legal case of the forest and not allow any further deforestation until the official status of the forest is determined by the court,” said the statement.

The statement also said that the forested land in question covers 406 hectares of mostly intact and biodiverse lowland dipterocarp rainforest which forms a critical ecological corridor for over 300 species of wildlife here including the endangered Malayan Tapir.

This lush oasis in the middle of Shah Alam city is also visited by thousands of hikers and nature lovers every week for recreation, exercise and nature education.

An online petition to keep this forest protected has garnered over 106,000 signatures.