10
speak up!
A victory for the people
TOWN hall meetings
are informal public
meetings where every-
body in a community is
invited to attend, voice
opinions and hear the
responses from public
figures and elected
officials.
In communities
with large populations,
more often, town hall CitizenNades
meetings are held so
by R. Nadeswaran
that people can influ-
ence elected officials in
their decision making or to give
them a chance to feel that their
voices are being heard.
There are no specific rules
or guidelines for holding a town
hall meeting. If the turnout is
large, and the objective is to give
as many people as possible an
opportunity to speak, the group
can be broken down into smaller
discussion groups. Participants
all hear an opening presentation
and then group-up to discuss an
aspect of the presentation. Each
group appoints someone to sum-
marise the group’s discussion.
But at the first ever town hall
meeting in the country, there
were no elected officials – merely
appointed people. The large
number of participants came in
all shapes and sizes. Some were
silent observers while others
were vociferous to the point of
being rude. Some gave decorum
a new meaning with their antics.
A handful made confes-
sions while one or two
were attempting to
spin a yarn. One even
went to the extent of
questioning authority
while another did not
understand the term
“non-assessment”
revenue. Another
claimed any form of
levy would be illegal.
Observers sitting on
sidelines were highly
opinionated. This
industry cannot be regulated.
There’s too much dirt to clean,
they said. Wracked with claims
of corruption, shady dealings and
under-counter payments, no one
should attempt the clean-up, they
decreed. Let them self-regulate
was another session.
Well, a lot of water has
flowed under the bridge. Almost
four months after that meeting
organised by the Petaling Jaya
City Council, the nay-sayers have
been proved wrong.
Today is an important day in
the annals of ruling by consulta-
tion with all parties involved
– the council, the business and
the people – when the guidelines
on billboard advertising are
launched.
Today is victory for the small
man whose voice was previously
drowned by the shouts of the
moneyed and the corrupt.
Today is the first step in giving
the people their say in how their
local government should conduct its
affairs.
Today is also an important day for
this newspaper. For four years, we
relentlessly exposed the shenanigans
of some of the players in the billboard
industry. For four years, we told the
country of the sham that dogged the
council. For four years, we showed
how the football team and the sports
club were used as a front for personal
gains. For four years, we showed how
some members of the council abused
their power to enrich themselves. For
four years, we wrote about dubious
deals and RM2 companies owned by
some councillors that were used as
letters
letters@thesundaily.com
No action on Seremban eye-sore
I WRITE as a resident of Seremban
who is eager to know what the state
government is planning to do with
the town’s public “swimming pool”
where the former Convent school was
located.
It is an eye-sore and a source
of embarrassment for it depicts yet
another failed commercial develop-
ment project undertaken by people
who don’t have what it takes.
The project was abandoned during
the economic downturn some years
back and was never revived. Now, we
are experiencing hard times again, so
I don’t see the situation changing and
the site will continue to be a breeding
pool for mosquitoes.
HWA 373 does cabbies proud
GIVEN how much grief Malaysian taxi
drivers are given about their alleged
rudeness and propensity to cheat un-
suspecting travellers, I’d like to relate
my experiences after landing in KLIA at
the end of February.
I took the KLIA express to Sentral,
where I found the porters rude and
officious. As a pregnant woman with
heavy bags, this was more than incon-
venient. Due to a series of mishaps, my
friend who had agreed to pick me up
from the station didn’t arrive, I had an
out-of-date phone number for her, and
found myself practically penniless and
alone at Sentral. Attempts to change
money were futile – the money-chang-
ers had run out of cash!
I eventually asked one of the taxi
drivers if he could take me to my
destination, promising I would pay him
conduits to clean
dirty money. For four years,
we exposed those soiled hands,
those guilty souls and their
abettors. For four years, we gave
you insights into the world of
sleaze.
This writer and the paper
did not escape criticism for our
dogged pursuit of wrong-doers.
One blog posting two years ago
on our campaign read: Citizen Nades
has an article in theSun, where he
continues lambasting MPPJ. I’d say
the language is getting old, except
that it won’t really get old until some
action is finally taken. Until then,
theSun can rant on (online prefer-
ably) as much as it likes as far as I’m
concerned. Another had this to say:
“theSun is overdoing it by focusing on
the billboards. Why can’t the paper
and its columnist accept the fact that
the little Napoleons will continue to
feast on people’s money.”
Today, we stand vindicated,
thanks to the efforts of the new breed
of councillors and the trade associa-
If statistics show a rise in cases of
dengue fever in the state, we don’t
have to look very far for the source.
About two years ago, the mentri
besar was reported as saying that the
area would be developed into a com-
mercial complex. The pool after all is
on prime land. A public square next
to the pool which was completed last
year is turning to be a popular attrac-
tion with the people.
The problem facing Seremban
residents is the lack of parking space
in town for cars and motorcycles. The
roads where the banks are located are
often congested with traffic and there
aren’t enough traffic cops to man the
situation.
when I got there. When we arrived, he
had to wait while I collected the house
keys from the neighbours, then braved
my rather ecstatic dogs to help carry
my luggage into the house, while I
frantically searched for the money my
mother had promised to leave me.
Unfortunately, she had left me
large notes, and the taxi driver had no
change. The driver graciously accepted
less than half the fare he was entitled
to, despite my promise to try and find
some small change – he said he felt
sorry for me running around the house
in my condition.
So a big thank you to the driver of
HWA 373, who didn’t give me his name,
but certainly made my evening.
Sonia Randhawa
Via email
theSun | WEDNESDAY MARCH 4 2009
tions – the Association of Accredited
Advertising Agencies (4As), the Ad-
vertisers Association (2As) and
the Media Specialists Association.
Yes, from today, doing business
with MBPJ will no longer be the
same, at least where billboards are
concerned. There will no longer
be any need to make donations or
under-counter payments. Every-
thing has been codified and the
layers of bureaucracy have been
cut. Files will no longer gather
dust and money will not make
them disappear in thin air.
Today, among those making a
beeline to the launch of the guide-
lines on billboards in the city
will be some of the detractors,
wanting to look resplendent in
their suits and fancy cars. Three
months ago, they made all kinds
of threats and claims. “We will
challenge you in court,” they
cried in unison. Today, with
their tails between their legs, they too
will embrace the new culture.
What more to be said? Yes, the
Selangor government is said to be
using the same set of guidelines for
the other 10 local governments in the
state. Once and for all, an industry
which was a law unto itself has been
brought to its knees – on the demands
of the ratepayers. Once and for all,
the sleaze and the crooked deals
which some of them engineered will
be null and void. For those who had
lived off such immoral earnings, the
gravy train has come to a screeching
halt. It’s time to change and earn
your keep. There’s no such thing as
a free lunch and hard work doesn’t
kill anybody.
R. Nadeswaran makes no apolo-
gies for leading the campaign and
dedicates the fruits of his labour to the
people who had given him the support
and co-operation in this long-winded
fight. He is editor (special and investi-
gative reporting) at theSun. Feedback:
citizen-nades@thesundaily.com
Also, the popular NS padang has
been returfed and it should be opened
to the public again. The locals would
be able to recollect the many cricket,
hockey and football matches that used
to be played on this padang which is in
the centre of town. It is also the site for
the annual Seremban Half Marathon
where thousands would congregate at
the start of the run.
Michael Ng
Seremban
Focus on
reducing waste
EVERY year, World Environment Day
is celebrated on June 5. This year the
theme is “You Unite to Combat Climate
Change”.
The focus now is on reducing carbon
emissions and slowing down erosion.
Many Malaysians think recycling – re-
processing and reusing waste – is the
main environmental focus.
As we are still promoting recycling
but not educating the younger genera-
tion on how to reduce waste, our youth
will produce more and more waste as
they think that waste can always be
recycled. Even adults think recycling is
the answer.
Many people are still not aware that
reducing carbon emissions is an impor-
tant aim in combating global warming.
Many countries, like South Korea and
China, have introduced low carbon
emission regulations.
World Environment Day activities
should be related to combating climate
change and reducing carbon emissions.
Sam Wong
Via email