Embrace for more landslides and fallen trees

 

LESS than 24 hours after a taxi driver died in the federal capital when an old tree fell on his taxi, tonight I received all these photographs showing more trees falling on cars parked by the side of the road. 

This happened at Desa Damai Puri (near Desa Aman Puri). Residents are now appealing to the Selayang Municipal Council (MPS) to do something before another disaster happens again. 

Some time early this year, a tree fell onto a Grab motorcyclist in Wangsa Permai, a nearby housing estate. He suffered from a broken leg. 

With Malaysia recording heavy rainfall, efforts have to be done to cut down trees that are apparently dead like this one captured by residents.

It is not only in this area that we see such neglect by the local council. It is all over Malaysia. This is due to a lack of the maintenance culture in our local government. 

No Difference Before 2008 and After 2014

When complaints are brought to the local council, be it in writing or a phone call, the staff lack the motivation to carry out their tasks professionally. 

The first batch of local councillors appointed after Selangor was captured by then Pakatan Rakyat were impressive. I remember informing the local councillor about a sink hole in Sri Damansara, and he came all the way from Bandar Utama to check it out despite a heavy downpour. 

BUT from my experience the past six years, it is not only the local councillors who fail to respond but the state assemblymen, the local MPs, the state exco, the Menteri Besar and the Minister of Housing and Local Government. 

You can bring to their attention people's problems and they remain "elegantly silent." 

One can only wait for another disaster to happen, before driving home the point to these politicians. 

Sad to say, it is the voters who have to suffer. 

In all these 30 years, I tried to solve people's complaints in my small capacity as an ordinary citizen. 

I can only do whatever I can by highlighting it to the respective authorities. Many issues including very big ones were solved by the good people in the government. I don't like to "whack" people but sometimes, it really gets to my nerve to see how negligent and lackadaisical some ministers are.

The difference I have seen is that ministers from Sabah and Sarawak are more responsive compared to most ministers (with the exception of a few, including the Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim (PMX) and his wife, Kak Wan) from West Malaysia. There are a number of ministers who are always ready to solve problems but for that I shall only mention the late Salahuddin Ayub. He solved many of the issues people were facing with TNG.

Recently, the PMX said he wanted both civil servants and the politicians to solve people's problems. Trust me, unless these people change in the way they do things, there will be no positive outcome. A number of these issues will remain unattended although they have been escalated to the state's highest authorities:

• Entry into a commercial centre in Bandar Sg Long 
• Illegal carwash
• Blind spots and dangerous corners
• Several unsolved issues raised and compiled again

A number of these issues have also been raised to Minister of Housing and Local Government Nga Kor Meng. 

Blocked, that’s why people go to Press 

Some of these people in Selangor take the easy way out by blocking anyone who bring them "people's problems" to solve (see below). 

They fail to realise that this is one reason why people go to the press with their issues while they bask in their own limelight of being a successful elected representative. 

Abdul Razak received a Whatsapp broadcast from me about Hannah Yeoh's good job. 

Look at his immediate response complaining about another DAP politician who is the state exco in charge of environment, Jamaliah. 

Instead of acknowledging their own weaknesses, these politicians prefer to label others as troublemakers. If they are sincere and genuine, most people would be reasonable with them. 

Few years of campaign, why? 

I simply do not understand why I have to campaign for three years just to solve a hump issue, or five years to get the local council to upgrade the facitilies in a local park shared by many residents. 

Before any elections, these politicians come and campaign because they want votes. After winning, you talk to them, it is like talking to the wall. 

DAP in Selangor is no different from MCA in the past. One is half a kati, the other is 8 tahils. (1 kati = 8 tahils)

Hope for change?

So, people, just put your fingers crossed and hope that this does not happen again. 

With Kuching now taking 15th cleanest place in the world, and Penang also another very clean island state by comparison to those days under Koh Tsu Koon, there is no reason why we cannot see change in the local government.

Unless reforms are being carried out in the local government, it will be business-as-usual (BAU) at the third tier of government which is very important to every rakyat.

It will be for you and me more fallen trees, frequent landslides, recurring potholes, poor road drainage and clogged drains, illegal dumps, flash floods, blindspots on roads and sharp corners that can cause accidents, more traffic jams, and the list can go on and on.

We voted for change. 

We support the Madani govenrment with the hope that the present cabinet will seriously look into the local govenrment issues and revamp the Local Government Act, and make individuals within the local councils more accountable when disasters happen.