Instead, Amirudin should investigate why project approvals had been illegally made, and find out who were the public officials involved, said two lawyers.
An environmental activist also questioned if Amirudin was confident there was no corruption or abuse of power when the approvals were granted.
The two lawyers, Rajesh Nagarajan and Sachpreetraj Singh Sohanpal, represent several societies seeking a judicial review of the state government’s decision to remove forest reserve protection from a portion of land at Bukit Cherakah.
Amirudin said yesterday that if it did not proceed, the state government could be sued by companies involved as the delisting had been approved by the previous state government.
The state government would have no other choice but to be prepared to pay compensation.
“Even if the state government proceeds with the degazettement, it will not legitimise the projects that had already begun before such degazettement,” said the two lawyers.
Loss of funds or exposure to legal action should not even be a consideration, as the state had already been compensated for the land, they said.
Further questions remained about whether proper environmental assessments were even done before the approvals were granted.
The state government should not sacrifice the environment for financial reasons, they said, citing the example of recent flooding in parts of the state.
The PKR vice-president also said a state subsidiary with an interest in the property will be asked not to continue with its development project there, unless it involved public interest, such as the construction of roads or cemeteries.
Damien Thanam Divean, head of the environmental group Pertubuhan Pelindung Khazanah Alam (Peka), said the state government should investigate wrongdoing by their predecessors.
The change in land ownership should be revoked and forest reserve status retained instead of complying to “assist the wrongdoers”.
Lim Teck Wyn of the Shah Alam Community Forest Society (SACF) was pleased to hear that a state subsidiary would be prevented from continuing its development project at the forest reserve.
He said it showed that the state government was “responsive” to a judicial review filed by Peka and SACF to challenge the degazettement.
Rajesh and Sachpreetraj, who represent the NGOs in the suit, said the High Court in Shah Alam is slated to hear their application for leave to seek a judicial review on Sept 28.