HELLO DBKL, IS THERE A TREE SCAM GOING ON IN KUALA LUMPUR?

So who’s the lucky fellow who’s going to become an instant millionaire?

Mike Tan, The Ant Daily

Most KL-lites don’t really pay attention to the trees that line the sides of our roads and other public areas. 

They form part of the background remaining largely unnoticed as we go about our daily tasks and routine. Until, of course, someone comes and chops the trees down.

That’s what happened to a group of residents in Taman Seputeh recently when the trees in public areas of their community – planted some 20 years ago – were slated for removal by DBKL. The residents association had no prior knowledge of the removal, and by the time a concerned resident struck up the courage to inquire about the matter, the removal process was well underway and several trees had already been felled.

What he learnt about the matter proved to be quite alarming.

He first began by speaking to the contractor who was supervising the tree cutting process at their community. He was told that the company, MTH Enterprise, were instructed by the DBKL’s landscaping department to remove the trees. He even produced a letter of instruction by the department. 

The letter, however, did not bear the official DBKL letterhead and was handwritten. It was signed by Mohamad Haizam bin Jalis, a DBKL officer from the department. 

The resident then arranged a meeting with Haizam, who told him that the removal was because the trees were damaging the walkways and are a danger to people. In addition, one tree had fallen down in November last year, damaging property.

So the department came to the conclusion to remove all the trees along Jalan Taman Seputeh, including the nearby playground. 

This raises the question, why wait till 20 years to finally take action only after a tree has fallen? What has the department been doing all this time?

Why weren’t the trees checked from time to time to ensure that any trees at risk of falling down were removed? And for that matter, why can’t the trees be trimmed instead of being cut down wholesale?

If the situation wasn’t confusing enough, Haizam then requested that the resident sign a liability waiver absolving DBKL of all liability should any damage be caused by the trees if he was really serious about wanting the trees to remain. 

At the end of this confusing conversation, the resident managed to get a week’s reprieve after submitting a letter to the department regarding the matter.

In essence, he has a week – until Aug 13 – to save those trees. 

The resident also managed to speak to Haizam’s superior, Ahmad Rizal Mohd, who is the officer in charge of Taman Seputeh. Ahmad Rizal explained to the resident that the trees cannot be trimmed, they must be cut.

Assuming that’s the case, asked the resident, what’s DBKL’s replacement policy?

Ahmad Rizal’s answer was typical of a small cog in a complex bureaucracy – he didn’t know because it’s under the purview of another department. However, he was kind enough to show the resident who to contact for that information. 

All this took place last week, and in a follow-up, the resident met with DBKL’s legal department to clarify about the legality of the liability waiver. He was informed by the department that there was no such thing. 

Although there is only one day left till the cutting resumes, the resident has not given up, and is trying to reach the DBKL landscape department’s director for further clarification.

While this entire situation may seem like a misunderstanding wrapped in bureaucratic red tape, there might be a more ‘sinister’ motive behind the entire affair, if you enjoy believing conspiracy theories.

The trees targeted for removal are mahogany trees, which is highly sought after as timber material. According to a local timber expert, a cubic ton of mahogany timber (40 cubic feet) can fetch at least RM10,000 – and that’s a conservative estimate, and one mature tree can yield at least a cubic ton or two easily.

Mahogany is also scarce as prices are quite high, and it wouldn’t be farfetched if the mahogany from Taman Seputeh ends up being sold to local furniture outlets, right here in the Klang valley.

After all, DBKL does not deal with the disposal of the trees, it is left to the contractor who was given the task. To top it all off, DBKL actually pays the contractor for his efforts. 

The going rate is around RM2,500 per tree chopped, as opposed to RM600 to RM700 for trimming a tree.

So how much money is there to be gained from this ‘service’? 

Assuming that each mahogany tree removed from Taman Seputeh yields two cubic tons at RM10,000 per ton, each tree is worth approximately RM22,500. There are around 40 to 50 trees slated for removal, according to estimates by residents, so come August 13, if the chopping is not stopped, someone stands to become RM1 million richer.

So who’s the lucky fellow who’s going to become an instant millionaire?