Harapan MPs urge Selangor to defer street parking deal

Four Pakatan Harapan MPs have called on the Selangor government to postpone its plan to privatise street parking operations.

They cautioned that dismissing public concerns over the issue could reflect badly on the state administration.

Petaling Jaya MP Lee Chean Chung said the Selangor Intelligent Parking (SIP) scheme, scheduled to be implemented on Aug 1, should be delayed pending a full and public disclosure by the state government of its terms and conditions.

He also called on the state to disclose the commercial aspects of the scheme, including the expected profits for each party, including the private company appointed for the project, Menteri Besar Selangor (Incorporated) (MBI Selangor), and local councils.

Urging for an independent bipartisan committee to study the scheme, Lee said a complete review is needed to prioritise the needs of local councils and constituents in the affected areas.

“The state government’s objective, to privatise public car parks to maximise revenue collection and make profits, appears to me to have missed the most important objective of the exercise, which is the wellbeing and vibrancy of the community,” Lee told a press conference in Parliament today.

Also present at the press conference were Lee’s fellow PKR MPs, William Leong (Selayang) and Wong Chen (Subang), as well as Amanah’s Shah Alam MP Azli Yusof.

Parking privatisation plan

Last week, Selangor state executive councillor Ng Suee Lim clarified that discussions are still ongoing over the privatisation of street parking management across four local authorities.

Noting that a final agreement is expected to be signed by Aug 1, Ng said MBI Selangor is in the final stages of negotiations with its subsidiary, Rantaian Mesra Sdn Bhd, to implement the SIP system.

He explained that SIP involves a collaboration between local authorities, Rantaian Mesra, which will act as a coordinator, and a private concession company handling field operations.

He previously said the concessionaire will handle both parking fee collection and enforcement, with the revenue to be split equally.

The concessionaire will receive 50 percent, while the remaining half will go to the state - 40 percent to the councils and 10 percent to MBI Selangor.

Veteran journalist R Nadeswaran previously recommended that the privatisation scheme be deferred pending a formal inquiry by the Selangor Special Select Committee on Competence, Accountability, and Transparency (Selcat).

Expressing similar sentiments, Wong highlighted to the media today that Harapan’s manifesto clearly highlights conducting business and policy matters in a transparent manner through open tenders.

“Any terms that we sign have to be displayed to the rakyat. We are confident that the government can defend (the SIP scheme), (but) when silence persists, the people will obviously say something is not good.

“The scheme has to be sustainable and fair. If the private company is going to make a profit worth hundreds of thousands of ringgit, the state government might as well (implement the SIP proposal) itself,” Wong said.

The parking privatisation project involves the Petaling Jaya City Council (MBPJ), Subang Jaya City Council (MBSJ), Shah Alam City Council (MBSA), and Selayang Municipal Council (MPS).

The plan has faced strong backlash from other MPs as well as residential and eco-sustainability groups.

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