IT may seem like a negligible issue unworthy of the intervention of His Majesty Sultan Ibrahim Ibni Almarhum Sultan Iskandar.
But those who know the Johor Ruler can vouch that nothing escapes his attention, especially when a company pockets RM180mil to clean the state, and yet fails miserably.
Tuanku didn’t keep his cards close to his chest but revealed his fury to Malaysians through a video that has gone viral.
He expressed his annoyance at the pathetic level of upkeep of the state’s low-cost flats.
“Even the animals in the zoo are better off than (those in) these flats. It looks like the people are living in chicken pens (coops?),” he said.
The video captured His Majesty’s anger, where he conveyed his unhappiness with his officials, just before granting an audience to Local Government Development Minister Nga Kor Ming.
Tuanku is known for being blunt and he didn’t mince his words. He complained about there being more than 200 Members of Parliament but there were millions of rakyat living in low-cost flats and he’s adamant that these premises deserve to be better maintained.
Many of the flats are dilapidated and littered with rubbish. He added that “some of these places have also become breeding grounds for pests and insects.”
The affected areas include the flats in Stulang Laut, Skudai, Larkin, Tampoi, Kempas, Taman Johor and Taman Perling.
At his meeting with Nga, he told the minister that he understood there were allocations for Johor but reminded him Johoreans were taxpayers, too.
“Remember something, we are taxpayers here. We are paying RM180mil to SWM, but their cleaning and garbage collection services are not satisfactory,” Tuanku intimated.
SWM Environment Sdn Bhd is a Kuala Lumpur-based concession which handles integrated solid waste management and public cleaning in Johor, Melaka and Negeri Sembilan.
The organisation is owned by Taliworks Corporation Bhd, a public utilities company involved in water treatment, waste management, highway concession and construction.
The Sultan is upset that the agreement with SWM is so “watertight that you can only complain but it cannot be dismissed.
“There is no exit clause to say that you can dismiss SWM. Here, we have a responsibility to the rakyat,” he said.
He said most Johoreans are unaware that SWM is responsible for the clean-up services and blamed the local councils and the state government for the poor maintenance.
His Majesty said he was prepared to advise Nga “for free” and provide the government with “the best but cheapest” alternative.
He said he had gone on the ground to check for himself the poor services rendered and showed the photographs as proof to Nga.
His Majesty said whether he was in Malaysia or travelling abroad, he is always kept abreast of the situation in the state “as I have my eyes and ears everywhere.”
“But I will also check after the reports are made. But if my rakyat is staying in a kandang ayam, I can’t accept it.
“Now you are a minister in the Unity Government, but what they did before was no good,” he told Nga, who promised to study and “call them to take action.”
Tuanku issued another statement following the video release warning that no one should politicise his remarks on the deplorable state of maintenance at the flats.
“This is not something new. Previous governments knew about the terrible condition of the flats but did nothing,” he said.
Recently, His Majesty had complained about the pot-hole riddled highway in the state, revealing his car rims were dented because of it.
He had once quipped that “even a blind man sitting in car would know when he reaches Johor.”
But it isn’t merely Johor that suffers these maintenance issues. I guess many of our leaders including MPs and State Assemblymen have not travelled enough in their constituencies in Kuala Lumpur and Selangor.
It’s common to see rubbish strewn along the streets in Petaling Jaya, especially in SS2, and the back lanes are certainly a source of embarrassment.
But of course, community living requires cooperation and a sense of responsibility among the residents.
It’s not entirely the duty of the local government, but we also expect the local authorities to buck up because most of us have stayed in these areas long enough to see the declining standards of maintenance.
Whether it’s in Bandar Klang, Selayang, Kepong, Puchong or in PJ, many parts of the Klang Valley are in a pathetic state.
It’s not clear if the contractors are doing a bad job or if the respective councils lack sufficient funds, but the bottom line is it’s unacceptable to ratepayers.
Media organisations are receiving pictures depicting heaps of uncollected rubbish and potholes more frequently than ever.
Do any of our officials and elected representatives dare say otherwise and claim they have done a great job?
Frustrating is an understatement.
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Wong Chun Wai
Wong Chun Wai began his career as a journalist in Penang, and has served The Star for over 35 years in various capacities and roles. He is now group editorial and corporate affairs adviser to the group, after having served as group managing director/chief executive officer. On The Beat made its debut on Feb 23 1997 and Chun Wai has penned the column weekly without a break, except for the occasional press holiday when the paper was not published. In May 2011, a compilation of selected articles of On The Beat was published as a book and launched in conjunction with his 50th birthday. Chun Wai also comments on current issues in The Star.
