Goodies for the disabled from MBPJ

Saturday December 27, 2008

Quick Response Team for PJ

By OH ING YEEN at the Petaling Jaya City Council Full Board Meeting

THE Petaling Jaya City Council (MBPJ) will implement the Quick Response Team (QRT) to handle minor grouses in the city beginning Jan 1, 2009, PJ mayor Roslan Sakiman announced at the MBPJ December full board meeting.

“There will be 10 officers from various departments, such as the Landscape, Engineering and Health departments, in the team, for multi-skills and multi-tasking,” he said.

The idea was proposed by MBPJ councillor Michael Soon at the September full board meeting.

PJ folk can look forward to more good news in 2009, such as free medical services for the hardcore poor, people with disabilities, and senior citizens in PJ.

“It costs RM2 million to provide these facilities and only those who have registered are eligible to enjoy free medical treatment at the clinic located in Section 8,” the mayor said.

He added that hygiene and cleanliness would also be a priority in 2009.

Soon: `The owner of a closed eatery even said: ‘What’s wrong with being dirty as long as the food tastes good?’

Public Hygiene and Sanitation Committee head Michael Soon said a holistic approach should be taken to tackle cleanliness problems and that people should boycott dirty eateries.

“It’s sad to note that the situation has not changed much. The members of parliament and assemblymen should also co-operate and not take sides.

“The owner of a closed eatery even said: ‘What’s wrong with being dirty as long as the food tastes good?’ The press is hitting on MBPJ (over the issue of hygiene and cleanliness) as it’s more sensational, but why don’t the writers urge the readers to boycott the dirty eateries instead?” he said, adding that, “With garbage hanging on trees, it’s like we have Christmas trees all year long.”

On the issue of illegal billboards in PJ, the mayor announced that seven billboards would be taken down in two to three weeks’ time.

“These billboards were erected in such a way that they would endanger the public,” he said. The billboards that will be taken down include those that are located near the Seri Setia KTM station, Church of St. Francis Xavier and the Selangor State Development Corporation (PKNS) field.

Councillor Derek Fernandez added, “The council is now fine-tuning the guidelines for billboards and we are studying , and deciding on, appropriate sites for the placement of billboards.”

Many councillors brought up the issue of the council’s delivery system and the need to buck up.

“The public wants to see visible changes. There should be service standards for services (such as mending potholes, cutting of trees) to be carried out within a certain time-frame,” Fernandez said.

In his speech, Roslan said that a Strategic Organisation Plan (Pelan Strategik Organisasi) was one of the ways to improve the city council’s delivery system.

“The Plan is important in the MBPJ as a whole as it would be the goal for every department’s plan and implementation.

“As the local authority, the MBPJ is the government’s front-line agency that is most important and closest to the public in delivering its services. Therefore, the services that the public gets from the MBPJ reflects the delivery system’s quality and efficiency as a whole,” he said.

Some councillors also brought up the issue of communication between councillors and the MBPJ department heads.

“Being part-time councillors, we may overlook certain matters as we are too busy, and the council staff just wait for us to follow up,” councillor Latheefa Beebi Koya said, pointing out that it was important for pro-active measures and for the councillors and MBPJ to work hand in hand.

Soon proposed that a Management for Change workshop be organised for councillors and MBPJ staff to deal with change since the Selangor state government is now under Pakatan Rakyat.

Council Anthony Thanasayan suggested that the MBPJ create more job opportunities for the disabled.

More details of the MBPJ 2009 budget are available on the MBPJ website http://www.mbpj.gov.my.