Suhakam: No to Kidex also right

PETALING JAYA: It is also the duty of the federal and state government to protect and respect the rights of those who oppose the construction of the Kinrara-Damansara Expressway (Kidex), says Human Rights Commission of Malaysia (Suhakam).
Such protection and respect was provided for under the United Nations human rights framework, Suhakam commissioner James Nayagam told reporters after being taken by members of the 'Say No To Kidex' committee on a site visit to the Jalan Utara area that will be affected by the expressway,
Nayagam said Suhakam has officially begun its investigation on the project and would be looking at five different aspects of human rights. These relate to land acquisition affecting residents; if there was any prior-informed consent by parties involved; accessibility of information; impact on the environment as well as environmental studies done; and protection of the welfare of the affected people.
He said Suhakam expected all concerned including the federal and state government, related agencies and the highway concessionaire to pay close attention to such matters.
"I don't see how this project can proceed further if the concerns raised by the people are not addressed by the relevant parties. The commission will be monitoring the situation closely," he said.
He added they would contact the highway concessionaire and the government agencies concerned for discussions and hopefully this could be done within the next two weeks.