About Zero Complaints: A good example set by Dato' Zahri Samingon, MBPJ mayor

I am deeply impressed by the Mayor of Petaling Jaya, Dato’ Zahri Samingon. In a brief discussion with him over WhatsApp, I shared my concern that there is likely to be significant traffic congestion at the junction of Jalan 16/11 and Jalan 17/1 in the coming months. I had recently learned that another large church congregation will be relocating to the same area in July, which would almost certainly add pressure to an already busy junction.

During our exchange, I offered several suggestions and explained a concept that I believe he already understands well: Zero Complaints. This was a principle we were trained in under Philip Crosby’s Excellence Through Quality (EQ) system.

The idea of Zero Complaints is simple yet powerful—it simply means being proactive: anticipating problems and resolving them before they escalate into public issues. Too often, problems involving local authorities become visible only after they have affected the public, forcing civil servants into reactive “firefighting” mode. Many of these situations could be avoided entirely if potential bottlenecks were addressed early, instead of becoming daily inconveniences—or worse, headlines in the newspapers or on television.

Dato’ Zahri is a leader I genuinely admire and respect. I write this to give him and the MBPJ staff the credit, as well as to set him as a good example to be emulated by other mayors and local council presidents (YDP). He did not tell me what he was planning to do, but on Sunday afternoon(March 29), when I was using the road, I noticed that the traffic was unusually smooth, and by the time I reached the trafific light junction next to MRT Taman Tun Dr Ismail (TTDI), the lights had turned green. The journey to Sri Gombak to attend a Raya open house was a breeze, which took only 20 mins despite my average speed never hit 100km/hr. 

I messaged him, asking if MBPJ had synchronised the traffic lights, and his answer was, "Sudah disantuni." Wow! The mayor quietly directed the MBPJ traffic team to study the synchronisation of traffic lights—not only at the Junction of Jalan 16/11 and Jalan 17/1, but also at the junction along Jalan Damansara leading towards Menara Glomac (near MRT station). 

The rationale I shared with him, based on my own observations, was straightforward: traffic on main roads should be prioritised and should not be required to stop at too many traffic lights. Rationale: When traffic on a main road is halted, vehicles continue to occupy the road space while additional vehicles merge in from side roads, compounding congestion unnecessarily. A better‑synchronised traffic flow can significantly reduce bottlenecks before they materialise into a daily frustration for road users.

I know, unlike many other local councils, MBPJ teams are always seeking to make Petaling Jaya a liveable city for everyone. I know this because I also once mentioned to Dato' Zahri about the two traffic lights at Persiaran Bukit Utama which were barely 10 meters apart. The problem I noticed was the traffic light were not synchronised. I merely took a picture which provides a GPS of the exact location, informing Dato' Zahri that the second set of streetlights turned red after the first set of streetlights turned green. The second time I drove past the same traffic lights about a week after, lo and behold, both traffic lights were already synchronised! 

For the sake of all the other local authorities, I had sharing some thoughts from my own observations. 

Roundabouts: If you observe how a roundabout functions, its brilliance becomes immediately apparent. The fundamental principle of a roundabout is to give priority to vehicles already within it. This ensures continuous movement and minimises unnecessary stopping. As vehicles exit the roundabout, natural gaps are created, allowing other vehicles to enter smoothly. This self‑regulating flow makes the roundabout an efficient and elegant solution for managing traffic, particularly where multiple roads converge. 

DATO’ Zamri’s proactive response in anticipation of a major traffic congestion in coming months is simply praiseworthy but —

In Contrast...

Batu Caves Flash Flood problem: For those familiar with the monsoon drains in the Batu Caves Industrial Park, flash floods occur with alarming frequency—sometimes after nothing more than a heavy downpour. Just today  (30 March 2026), I was told that flash flood still happens to Restoran Sabik there. 

On March 30, 2026, six months later, problem still remain unresolved

One of the key contributing factors is the presence of TNB pipes that run across the monsoon drains. These pipes impede the natural flow of water, especially when rubbish accumulates and gets caught against them.

Even a minor obstruction—whether from these pipes or from concrete slabs that have fallen into the drains—can significantly slow the movement of water along the main monsoon drain. When rainwater from surrounding roads attempts to enter the drain but encounters resistance downstream, the water has nowhere to go. As a result, it backs up and overflows, leading to flash flooding in the surrounding area.

Broken drains not fixed until recently 

This problem is less about the volume of rain and more about flow restriction. Addressing these obstructions proactively—by clearing debris, repositioning pipes, and removing collapsed concrete—would greatly reduce the likelihood of repeated flash floods. It is this rationale that forms my idea of traffic lights synchronisation along main roads where the priority should be given to traffic on the main roads. In short, the traffic must be allowed to be dispersed before new traffic is introduced on the same roads. 

Frankly, after attending—on a voluntary basis—to the issues facing these business enterprises, I believe it is time for the Chief Secretary to take a serious look at underperforming local council presidents and their management teams. Without decisive intervention at this level, the hardships faced by the public will continue to plague them; and whatever instruction made recently by the Prime Minister that underperforming YDPs will be removed, may only appear to be in vain. 

I have been monitoring the Selayang Municipal Council (MPS) for nearly 30 years, and regrettably, there is little indication of sustained commitment to genuine problem‑solving. Time and again, when a complaint resurfaces, the response is handled on a piecemeal basis. A visit is made, photographs are taken—presumably to demonstrate that the complaint has been “attended to”—and the matter is considered closed. Yet the underlying problem remains unresolved.

Each time, someone has to complain then, some form of work is being done. On March 7, the proprietor of Han's Kopitiam complained about the boulder in the drain and broken drain. 

Only after that was work (both major and minor) carried out to extinguish the fire...The boulder should have been removed long ago when investigation began. This is a systemic failure (lack of supervision and forever pointing fingers on others when work was not done)

But what about this one below? There is even concrete and pipes… don't be angry when criticized or retaliate through subtle means, but as a member of the public, I am frustrated having to ask why the work performance is like this and why you aren't working proactively? If you already know the cause of the ongoing floods, why hasn't the cleaning and repair work been done thoroughly? Where is the supervision? Should the public have to lodge complaints repeatedly, like with the road repair work (see video in this blog)?

Without a proactive and comprehensive approach, there will never be a lasting solution. For instance, when an obstruction such as a concrete slab inside a drain is highlighted, the response is limited to removing that single slab. No further investigation is carried out to determine whether other sections of the drainage system remain blocked. As a result, the same flooding problems recur.

More troubling is the lack of preventative oversight. As the local authority (pihak berkuasa tempatan), why were pipes allowed to be constructed across monsoon drains in the first place, knowing full well that such obstructions would impede water flow? These are systemic failures, not isolated oversights.

If I, as an unpaid volunteer, was able to walk the entire industrial estate to understand the broader drainage issues, I see no reason why the Yang Dipertua (YDP) or the head of the engineering department could not do the same. Effective governance demands initiative, accountability, and a willingness to address problems at their root—not merely to react when public complaints become unavoidable.