PKR‘s Lee Chean Chung has called on the Selangor government to clarify why documents related to a privatised parking system in the state have been classified as national secrets.
The Petaling Jaya MP said he had come to learn that a resident had attempted to access documents related to the Selangor Intelligent Parking System (SIP) under the Freedom of Information (State of Selangor) Enactment 2011.
According to Lee, the resident was told that the documents were classified under the Official Secrets Act, supposedly because their disclosure could “seriously endanger national security or defence”.
“How could a parking management contract, a document that directly affects the daily lives of the people, possibly threaten national security or defence?” he asked in a statement.
Lee said blocking public access to documents on grounds of national security was illogical and could erode public trust in the state government’s reform credentials.
He said that information transparency is an essential part of good governance.
“I therefore urge the Selangor government to explain why such documents are classified as national secrets and whether there is a need to review the implementation of the Freedom of Information Enactment.”
Lee said Selangor menteri besar Amirudin Shari had previously said the SIP project had not been awarded through direct negotiation but through an open tender process.
And if it was an open tender, there must be open documentation to back it up, Lee said.
He said that denying access under the Freedom of Information process contradicted the openness that the state government has always promoted.
The Freedom of Information Enactment was passed 15 years ago, alongside Penang’s own such law, as a landmark reform to demonstrate a new culture of transparency and accountability.
“Fifteen years later, I must ask, does that spirit still exist or has it faded away?” Lee asked.
