WHEN I first bought my home, I imagined having what most homeowners would expect – peace and quiet.
My home was in a cosy, mature neighbourhood away from city chaos, where the loudest thing I’d hear was the Alam Flora rubbish lorry or leaf blowers used by Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL) workers.
It wasn’t just about peace, though. After years of living in a condo, I longed for something more: privacy, space to breathe and a place to call my own.
This year, Malaysia marks 68 years of independence and while our nation has grown in leaps and bounds, the everyday struggles in our neighbourhoods remind us that freedom is not just about grand speeches or hoisting flags.
It’s about how we live together, side by side, in the spaces we call home.
Back when I moved in, my little house was everything I had hoped for. It gave me the peace and privacy I wanted.
Fast-forward 20 years and reality has moved in.
Despite the country’s 68 years of independence, daily struggles like putting up with people indiscriminately dumping rubbish reminds us that harmonious living is not automatic.
Like many older neighbourhoods in the Klang Valley, the problems didn’t arrive with sirens blaring. They crept in, subtly.
The peace I once had was slowly chipped away, not by crime or big development but by inconsideration.
That tidak apa (apathy) attitude.
First, came the kindergarten. A house was turned into a childcare centre, with cars, children shrieking or crying and on energetic mornings, a loudhailer.
During the drop-off and pick-up hours, the area was a circus.
Double parking and blocked back lanes while takeaway cups and snack wrappers littered the streets.
I get it – childcare is an essential service. Parents need safe places for their kids. In a fast-growing city, home-based centres are a necessity.
But what I can’t get over is how some agencies act like the rest of us don’t exist or don’t matter.
Like the night they did pipe replacement after 7pm, just as people were winding down.
Why? Well, according to the contractors doing the work, they didn’t want to disturb the children’s nap time.
Disturbing adults who also need sleep to function, apparently was not an issue.
That night, the drilling echoed through the street.
One neighbour finally got angry and approached the workers. Shouting ensued. All over something that could’ve been avoided with a bit of courtesy and a quick heads-up.
Then came the home businesses.
Gardening supplies, cocopeat, all pouring out of the porch and back lane. Customers in and out all day, lorries unloading at odd hours. Some even rang my doorbell asking for directions.
The reasoning? “If others can run a business from home, why can’t I?”
When some people move in, the first thing they do is look for security services from the residents association, some which exist solely to set these services up.
Other newcomers go into fortress mode. Extend the house till it reaches the drain, instal closed-circuit television (CCTV) cameras, motion-sensor lights – the works.
Introduce themselves to the neighbours? Not a chance.
You can live next to someone for 20 years and not know their name.
But you’ll know exactly when they park in “your” spot.
And bulk waste days? There’s always one who dumps an old mattress a week too early.
Or the well-meaning soul who feeds stray animals but leaves bones and rotting food by the drain without a care about the smelly mess attracting rats.
Or those who put no effort to neuter or spay pets that are allowed to roam freely.
It all boils down to one thing: basic civility. The kind that lets us live side by side without wanting to throttle each other.
And honestly, we’re losing it.
No guardhouse, CCTV or DBKL regulation can replace simple decency.
This National Day, I hope we remember that freedom isn’t just about rights. It’s about responsibilities.
That’s why I welcome the government finally getting serious about litterbugs and public nuisance.
From now on, anyone caught throwing rubbish where they shouldn’t, whether it’s a cigarette butt, a plastic cup or a bag of food scraps, can be fined up to RM3,000 if they repeat the offence.
For smaller offences, like dumping waste irresponsibly, offenders will have to do community service, sweep drains, clear rubbish or pick up trash in public spaces.
About time, if you ask me. Because sometimes, the only way to teach consideration is to make people clear the mess they left behind.
In the end, it comes down to three things: Courtesy. Consideration. Common sense.
Get those back and maybe our neighbourhoods will feel like home again.
