Sssh (Pic by ehlert / sxc.hu)DING Jo-Ann‘s commentary about the government’s policy of silence got me wondering if the same holds true for the Petaling Jaya City Council, or MBPJ. Do we practise the same deafening silence? I shall answer that question with a story. Not mine to give Once, a group of Section 19, […]
KW Mak
Hurdles for local govt elections
THE promise by the Pakatan Rakyat (PR) to have local government elections has been made yet again, this time by their politicians from Perak. The PR in Penang made a similar pledge during one of the state assembly sittings, while the PR in Selangor has largely kept mum about the manifesto. Hurdles (Pic by Foxtongue […]
Security woes
(© L Joo / Wiki Commons) PETALING JAYA (PJ) and other townships have been facing an issue involving the emergence of gated communities in recent years, with many differing views on whether this should be allowed or not. Arguing for the need for gated communities is the rising crime rate that is gripping our cities, […]
The financial disadvantage of being councillor
I AM a politician in the public’s eyes. Along with that recognition is the belief that I am flushed with cash, simply because my position allows me access to multitudes of government projects. Being supposedly cash rich, I am also expected to donate handsomely to needy people. To finance these handsome donations, I am expected […]
Tales from a Councillor: Residents, developers and mechanics
PART of my work as a Petaling Jaya City Council (MBPJ) councillor involves mediating disputes between resident groups and various parties. From experience, things are not always what they appear to be. There are no morals to these stories, save those that readers interpret for themselves. (Lamp by Dan Edwards; yin-yang by hisks / sxc.hu) […]
What’s the policy, please?
THE following are my observations on local council matters. The views are entirely my own. They may not reflect the actual policy that a local council would adopt, as policies are determined collectively and not by any one individual. Due process On 9 Oct 2009, The Star reported on a minor landslip in Puchong, supposedly […]
The maze of housing rights
(Maze by mzacha; houses by Stanley Elliot / sxc.hu) URBAN settlers who have lived in an area for many years are increasingly finding themselves uprooted and displaced while being offered verbal promises of compensation. Rather than debate on whether the local council or the developer is in the right to do all these things, I […]
Tales from a Councillor: Gotong-royong and school affairs
MY encounter with ratepayers sometimes leaves me with the impression that the phrase “public servant” is a very apt descriptor for local councillors. There are no morals here, save those that readers choose to interpret for themselves. Gotong-royong The bright, sunny morning was perfect weather for the day’s planned activity. Though not a morning person, […]
Tales from a Councillor: Bad Company
AS a councillor, I often face difficult, even dangerous, situations even though facing such situations should not be part of the job scope. There are no morals here, save those that readers choose to interpret for themselves. Gangsters It was the night when the Petaling Jaya City Council (MBPJ) was supposed to tear down an […]
Preventing neighbourhood strife
(Source: solsearch.us) FROM the sale of beer to the protest against the construction of a Hindu temple within a Muslim majority area, there seems to be no shortage of issues where the demands of one ethnic group are pitted against another. When such conflicts happen, the call for the police to take action against the […]
