New identity plan for Section 52 Petaling Jaya

By – Thiruselvam

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PETALING Jaya City Council (MBPJ) is planning to turn the Section 52 commercial centre into a “city centre with character”.

Petaling Jaya deputy mayor Aznan Hassan said implementation was scheduled to start next year.

“We are now at the evaluation stage and will call for proposals this year,” he said, adding that only the commercial part, also known as PJ New Town or PJ State, would be involved.

“The idea is to carry out the transformation next year, subject to consent for its plans and implementation.”

Aznan was speaking after the swearing-in ceremony of new Petaling Jaya mayor Mohamad Zahri Samingon at Menara MBPJ in Jalan Yong Shook Lin.

In his speech, Mohamad Zahri said the transformation of the Section 52 commercial centre to a city centre with character and owning an identity would make it on par with other metropolitan areas.

“This will be done by encouraging redevelopment of land lots where the present value is lower than the potential value and promoting connectivity to the existing rail network.”

When asked for details on the project, Mohamad Zahri said there would be a separate briefing on the timeline and plans at a later date.

He planned to hold engagement sessions with the city councillors to better understand matters relating to MBPJ.

“If needed, I will then go to the ground with councillors and residents to understand the situation at hand.

“For example, if the problem is flash floods, we will need to find out the source, whether it is rubbish or the drainage system.”

Mohamad Zahri, 54, whose appointment was effective Feb 1, will serve as Petaling Jaya’s seventh mayor.

He received the letter of appointment from Selangor State Secretary Datuk Haris Kasim last week.

Mohamad Zahri succeeds Mohamad Azhan Md Amir, who is now serving as Higher Education Ministry deputy secretary-general (management and development).

The latter’s two-year stint as Petaling Jaya mayor ended on Oct 20 last year.

Present to witness the ceremony were MBPJ department heads and councillors.

Attendees were informed that Mohamad Zahri’s appointment would be for two years, until Jan 2026.

“My new role at MBPJ marks my 12th posting in 26 years of being in the civil service,” said Mohamad Zahri, who holds a degree in Public Administration from Universiti Utara Malaysia.

“I will work on ensuring MBPJ provides quality service and technological improvements as well as having an administration with integrity.”

His previous stint was as Selangor Deputy Secretary (management).

He added that he adheres to the philosophy of “Dimana bumi dipijak, di situ langit dijunjung” (When in Rome, do as the Romans do), which means to observe local rules and customs.

Source – THE STAR