10-point suggestions towards a better Petaling Jaya through sustainable development

1. MPPJ being one of the leading Majlis Perbandaran in Malaysia, which subscribes to the Local Agenda 21, should endeavour to set new standards in serving the stakeholders (residents).

Comment: The Petaling Jaya Local Plan 1 was done without consultation with the people. Even community halls and other projects affecting the interest of the local residents were usually carried out without prior notice. In future, residents should be consulted before any project concerning the interest of the public could be implemented.

2. That e-government should be in place, so that the public can make suggestions and submit complaints etc; and that these should be attended to effectively. There should be benchmarks to acknowledge e-mails sent, and a time frame in which the public should receive replies to the e-mails. The MPPJ president should have his own e-mail address, and more importantly ensure that the e-mails are indeed attended to.

Comment: This issue is really one of First world technology, but Third world attitude, where we have the e-mail addresses on billboards but no one reads or replies any e-mail sent!

3.That every councillor be given specific portfolios, including areas of jurisdiction, and the public be informed of How, When, Where, these people can easily be contacted. There must a sort of time table where the public can see them, at specific community centres, on specified days and times. Details to be posted and constantly updated in the MPPJ Website.

Comment: At the moment, the residents do not even know who their councillors are. Most of the councillors are not serving the people because the people did not elect them and therefore they believed that they were not accountable to the people.

4. That enforcement of basic cleanliness (public health standards) at the main public places like wet markets and eateries should be done regularly. We seem to be waiting for something disastrous to happen before we think of taking some effective steps.

Comment: Clogged drains, broken drains and potholes are common sights in many parts of PJ. Even rubbish was not collected in time in marketplace and some residential areas. At least one motorcycles driver was killed because of potholes. Many were injured due to the negligence of the MPPJ. The recent dengue outbreak has so far taken some lives. A public liability compensation fund should be set aside for the victims and their families.

5. That MPPJ should review its guidelines on parking in residential areas to prevent confusion and causing inconvenience to car users. They should also ensure that parking bays for both motorists and motorcyclists were available and sufficient.

Comment: Many motorists have been slapped with summonses when parking in the residential areas, even though their vehicles were not in anyway blocking the traffic or the house owners.

6. That the MPPJ should take steps to repair and maintain all recreational parks, football fields and courts in good conditions. Lights should be installed for certain parks and fields for the convenience and safety of the residents.

Comment: Many playgrounds, fields and courts were not maintained properly. One example would be the football field and basketball court in Taman SEA, SS23.

7. That the MPPJ should immediately taking steps to resolve the traffic congestion in Petaling Jaya before the entire town being reduced to complete chaos or a "standstil".

Comment: The roundabouts near Rothmans, SS1 and Jalan Universiti have been causing massive traffic jams for a long time. Certain sections of the LDP and SS2 commercial area were notorious especially on Saturdays. Would MPPJ improve public transport system to reduce the need of using own vehicles?

8. That the MPPJ should turn all squatters' areas into modern township and provide low-cost units and other compensations to the urban pioneers.

Comment: Every citizen deserves proper living conditions. It's the duty and responsibility of the government to provide adequate housing for the people.

9. That the MPPJ should improve the overall landscape of PJ, turning PJ into a beautiful and green garden city.

Comment: We have very few streets, squares, parks and gardens with great landscaping that we can be proud of in PJ. We need more trees and flowers everywhere, rather than cutting down trees and turning grass tables to concrete pathways indiscriminately.

10. That the MPPJ should foster greater rapport with the residents. They should encourage residents to form residents associations to take care of their rights and well being collectively. The MPPJ should allocate funds to help resident associations to raise the quality of life and to improve the environment.

Comments: The rapport between MPPJ and the residents was far from satisfactory at the moment.

It's our hope that the new YDP Datuk Abduk Karim Munisar would bring changes and reforms to MPPJ, making MPPJ the best town council in the country.