PETALING JAYA: Forget the high cost for a moment. Should the Selangor government spend RM787 million just to rebuild or refurbish the Shah Alam Stadium rather than implement flood mitigation measures for residents and businesses in the area? This was the question posed by an academic and a resident.
Last week, Selangor Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Amirudin Shari announced that repair works on the stadium could cost up to RM787 million. The hefty price tag has raised eyebrows.
It includes the cost of structural works, wiring and raising the platform to prevent flooding at the stadium.
UCSI professor of Islamic architecture Dr Mohd Tajuddin Mohd Rasdi said the high cost of repairs was “questionable”, considering the stadium was always underutilised.
“Apart from being underused, Amirudin said part of the cost is to prevent flooding at the stadium. So why don’t we use the money to build a trench or tunnel to prevent flooding in the area instead?”
Tajuddin said the state government should consider moving the stadium elsewhere if flooding was a concern, noting that there were far better uses for the RM787 million.
“If flooding is prevented at the stadium, what about the surrounding areas? Will the stadium be useable during a flood? Can people get to the stadium during the floods?”
Tajuddin added that the redevelopment is secondary to solving the flooding problem.
“The main concern is flooding in the area. The authorities must convince the people why the money is not going to be used for flood management in the whole area instead of just the stadium,” he said.
Shah Alam resident Hashim Mohamad, 53, agreed with Tajuddin.
He said he understood the value of the stadium to Shah Alam residents, but suggested that part of the RM787 million be used for flood management in the area instead of just the stadium.
“There are residential homes and businesses around the stadium that suffered huge losses during the floods, so why is Amirudin not doing anything about the bigger issue of flooding and instead wants to spend a huge amount of money on a single project?”
When told that the development project will be a public-private partnership and that public funds would not be used for the project, as the cost will be borne by the developer through a land swap deal, Hashim said: “It matters little how the deal is being made. But flood mitigation for residents and businesses in the area must also be considered.
“Since the developer will be getting land in this deal anyway, why not help us prevent flooding too?”
Last Friday, the Selangor government announced that it will decide whether to demolish or refurbish the Shah Alam Stadium in the coming months.
Amirudin said the decision to repair or rebuild the 28-year-old stadium would be determined based on the cost.
He was speaking to the media after state secretary Datuk Haris Kasim presented a letter of intent on the project to Malaysian Resources Corporation Berhad executive vice-president Datuk Dell Akbar Khan Hyder Khan.
He also said the deal would not involve any public funds.
