Yeoh said she had received information that some individuals were using engagement sessions on proposed developments in their neighbourhoods to seek personal benefits.

“The modus operandi involves requests for discounts on property units, gadgets, cash, vouchers, flight tickets, renovation works and new curtains. The list goes on.

“If these requests are not attended to, protests against the proposed developments would be amplified and submitted to DBKL,” she said in a Facebook post today.

Yeoh said developers feared such protests, if submitted to DBKL, could jeopardise their projects.

However, she said requests aimed at benefitting the whole community, such as building sound barriers, fencing neighbourhoods for security, constructing jogging tracks and upgrading public parks, were legitimate.

“The moment the consultation process is abused for personal gain, a clear line must be drawn,” she said.

Yeoh added that similar situations could also occur in licence applications when support from associations representing residents or traders was required.

“Whatever it is, we want to ensure the platforms for consultation or good governance provided by DBKL are not abused for personal gain.

“I am a firm believer in this saying: ‘He who comes to equity must come with clean hands.’”

She urged developers and licence applicants facing such demands to report them to DBKL’s integrity unit so that the authorities can properly assess the seriousness of objections raised against proposed projects.