Speaking at a press conference today, former Wangsa Maju MP Tan Yee Kew, who is among the plaintiffs, thanked the legal team for their efforts.
“The reason why we’re bringing this to court is not just for the claims but, more importantly, it is because we want to see greater accountability among our government agencies at both the federal and state levels,” she said.
In cases of water pollution, Tan said the blame cannot be placed solely on polluters but also on all stakeholders involved, adding that only a comprehensive solution can resolve the issue once and for all.
The lawsuit was filed in April 2021 by Tan and 809 consumers against Yip Chee Seng & Sons, the state government, and the federal government over water disruptions in the Klang Valley that lasted four days from Sept 3, 2020.
They want a court declaration that the workshop was liable for negligence, and that the public authorities, including the state and federal governments, had breached their statutory duties in not maintaining water quality.
They are also seeking damages for their hardship and suffering during the disruption.
Lead counsel Calvin Khoo said Air Selangor and the National Water Services Commission (SPAN) were dropped as defendants a few months ago following the court’s recommendation.
However, he said the suit will proceed against the 16 remaining defendants, which also include the Selayang Municipal Council, the environment department, and the then environment and water minister.
Khoo also said they only received a date today due to a high volume of cases in the High Court and the backlog caused by the movement control order during the Covid-19 pandemic.
“The compilation and sharing of documents, gathering of facts, and challenges in setting common dates for lawyers all contributed to the delay in the case.
“However, the defendants have been very cooperative in their exchange and sharing of documents with us,” he said.
It was previously reported that the federal government initially refused to hand over the key documents related to a probe into the 2020 Sungai Gong pollution, but Khoo said this request had already been complied with.
“We will try our best to get the residents what they feel they deserve, but the process is all up to the courts,” he said.
“Witnesses will be called and, hopefully, when this trial proceeds in the next couple of weeks, we will get what we want.”