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Ipoh City Council paid RM6,789,180-00 for 200 parking meters at about RM34,000-00 each ! DAP Perak calls on the people of Ipoh to end such scandal by voting in a stronger opposition   Press Statement by Ngeh Koo Ham (Ipoh, Thursday): The people of Ipoh is paying the highest assessment rate in the country, up to 16.0% of the annual rent. Yet, the Ipoh City Council by its circular No 6/2003 dated 14/11/2003 informed its workers that due to its financial situation, from the month of November, 2003, for overtime and travelling allowances, the council will only be able to pay on the last day of each month. Why is it that the imposition of the highest assessment does not result in a rich city council which is able to implement projects and better services for the well being of the Ipoh residents ? This is because of the lavish expenditures and the abuses that are happening at Ipoh City Council.  The latest example is the purchase of 200 parking meters at RM6,789,180-00 or RM33,945-90 each ! This amount will be paid over 5 years at RM113,153-00 per month.  At this price, I believe that the parking collections will not be able to cover the costs of these meters, their maintenance, the drawing of parking lots and the salaries of enforcement officers. The whole parking tax collection system is an act in futility. It is an end in itself i.e to burden the people. The parking collections are not collected to carry out projects or to provide better services to benefit the Ipoh residents.  The people of Ipoh must appropriately be angered by such abuses. As law abiding citizens, we leave our places of work or the things we are doing to pay parking fees and worry about getting summons should the amounts paid are insufficient. We are rightly angered to know that the whole parking tax collection system was only to benefit certain people and not those who are paying the parking tax. Surely, the people of Ipoh have to dignity not to stomach such blatant abuses any longer. We must arise in protest.  I call on the Mayor to tell the whole truth and be transparent in this matter. Unless he does so, all the talks by our Prime Minister about telling the truth and being transparent are but empty rhetoric.  The sum of RM6,789,189-00 far exceeds all the donations and grants given by the BN 2 MPs and 5 Assemblymen to schools, associations, temples and churches in the last 4 years since they were elected in 1999.  The Perak DAP is considering lodging a report with the Anti Corruption Agency soon over this scandal.  The people of Ipoh must realise that a stronger opposition party like DAP, it will bring them more benefit. Only with a stronger opposition can their interests be safe-guarded.  With a better check and balance, the people of Ipoh will not need to pay the highest assessment rate in the country.  (20/11/2003) * Ngeh Koo Ham, DAP Perak Chairman