SHAH ALAM, April 9 — The Shah Alam City Council (MBSA) public hearing session was held in accordance with strict standard operating procedures (SOPs), taking into account several aspects.
The local council in a statement said the attendance capacity was set according to the size of the hall and social distancing limits between participants.
“The session which is conducted in accordance with strict SOPs, limits the number of individuals that are allowed to enter,” said its Corporate and Public Relations Division in a statement yesterday.
The statement was to address Malaysiakini’s story that claimed media was barred from covering the public hearing on the Shah Alam City Council’s (MBSA) draft local plan 2021-2035 at Wisma MBSA banquet hall in Shah Alam yesterday.
MBSA added the hearing was reserved for stakeholders such as individuals and non-governmental organisations to give their feedback on the development proposals.
The local council said 2,935 objections were received and the relevant parties were given the opportunity to highlight their arguments.
“The results of the summary and feedback from this session will be presented at the state government level through the Selangor State Planning Committee Meeting before the draft is finalised,” said the statement.
Yesterday, the Center for Independent Journalism (CIJ) and Gerakan Media Merdeka (Geramm) protested against the MBSA’s action to prevent journalists from covering the public hearings.
The two organisations said banning the media from making reports showed the MBSA was not transparent in the disclosure of information of the public interest.
