THESE days Johor is making headlines with regular announcements about huge foreign investments as well as the hype on the much touted special financial and economic zones.
All of these are a huge boost for the state’s economic development especially in the southern region closer to Singapore.
Being located next to the island republic is a major plus point for Johor but I am sure potential investors have other factors to consider including ease of doing business, issues on security and labour as well as utilities and infrastructure before investing in Johor.
Personally, I think good infrastructure is important, and that not only involves paved roads or connectivity to highways, but also having proper street lamps.
During a recent drive along the Pasir Gudang Highway, which is dubbed one of the busiest roads in the state, I saw contractors changing street lamps to decorative ones.
While this can be perceived as a good move, how do local councils ensure that these street lamps remain in good working order?
In the past, many of these decorative LED lights have not been functioning or it was time consuming to get the bulbs replaced.
In fact, street lamps along major roads such as Jalan Tebrau, Jalan Skudai, Eastern Dispersal Link and Pasir Gudang are not functioning; instead they only flicker at night.
Another embarrassing thing to note is that even the roads leading to the state’s administrative capital of Kota Iskandar, where Mentri Besar Datuk Onn Hafiz Ghazi’s office or the state assembly building is located, is pitch dark at night.
A friend living next to Kota Iskandar said accidents, resulting in severe injuries and even death, had occurred nearby poorly lit roundabouts along Lebuh Kota Iskandar.
He said so far, the Public Works Department (JKR) or Iskandar Puteri City Council (MBIP) had yet to fix street lamps especially around the two major roundabouts.
“Maybe when a VIP meets with an accident the issue will be quickly resolved,” said the local resident, who has heard loud crashing sounds when vehicles hit into poorly lit roundabouts at night.
So, who is responsible for repairing these faulty lights? Has no one from the state government, local councils or politicians noticed the problem?
Lately, it has been raining regularly, and these slippery as well as poorly lit roads are a danger to thousands of motorists.
It is even more hazardous for motorcyclists travelling for work to Singapore as early as 4am, especially when some of the roads are riddled with potholes.
It is time for the three major local councils, namely Johor Baru City Council (MBJB), MBIP and Pasir Gudang City Council (MBPG) to buck up and ensure that faulty street lamps are fixed.
They should have a team patrolling the streets to identify and fix faulty lights, not just along major roads but also in housing areas and villages.
The notion that the councils only maintain roads under their jurisdiction while JKR maintains federal roads no longer holds water.
Why can’t local councils get the lights fixed first and then bill the cost to JKR or the road concessionaire?
With 2026 being Visit Johor Year, it is rather embarrassing to think about visitors having to navigate our poorly lit roads.
We also do not want criminals taking advantage of the dark roads to commit crimes.
The public should also play a role and start highlighting these issues by calling the councils or reporting via the complaints hotline.
Those involved in accidents because of poorly lit areas could consider legal action against the local councils for dereliction of duty.
Although checks with the local councils show that stolen cables are the reason behind the faulty street lamps, there is no excuse for them to remain broken.
If below-ground cables are being stolen, then perhaps those in theft-prone areas should be strung up high above the ground.
Officials also should not give excuses about replacing only a few lights at a time to save cost or claiming that they need time to switch over to LED lights.
Johor is a rich state and funds should be immediately allocated to all councils, statewide, to check on street lamps and ensure that they are in working order.
Such minor issues can mar the state and city’s image as the southern gateway into Malaysia.
It is far more important to have working street lamps or to replace faulty bulbs fast instead of spending money changing lamp posts with decorative ones bearing the local council’s acronym.
The writer welcomes feedback via emailing nelson@thestar.com.my
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