Tuesday, September 05, 2006

Pest Control fiasco – More wrongdoings exposed, MPSJ’s credibility at stake

The Subang Jaya Municipal Council (MPSJ) credibility is at stake, as it is further reported in the Sun dated 5th September 2006 in it’s news report entitled “MPSJ putting cart before the horse, council to implement privatization of pest control services to one consortium after all”, that ‘the council finance committee had its meeting on 28th August decided to put the entire exercise on hold pending a detailed study, but the council at its full-board meeting on Aug 30 decided to implement the system’.

It is this act that is described as putting the cart before the horse. I was in MPSJ on 30th August with the intention to attend the full board council meeting in particular relation to the ongoing pest control fiasco which has been going on for more than one month.

Unfortunately, I was asked to leave the meeting room together with Thomas Goh, Treasurer of DAP Bukit Gasing branch when we were noticed by the Council Secretary Slamat Hamzah that our presence is not approved by the Council’s President.

What I can confirm from that meeting is that the council will continue with the policy by granting a 20-year concessionaire to Konsortium SJ Pest Control Sdn. Bhd. whereby other companies which is interested can come under the consortium which will eventually be placed under the supervision on the Council.

Having said that, nobody was ever informed that the Council’s Finance Committee had met on 28th August and decided to put the entire exercise on hold. So what we have right now is a self-contradictory situation. Should the Council full board meeting accept and adopt the decision of the Council’s Finance Committee meeting? Or the Council Full Board meeting has the right to overturn the decision of the Finance Committee meeting? Are all these ruling provided by the Full Board council meeting standing order? Or can there be a secret ballot to overturn the Council President’s insistence to go ahead with the decision?


The biggest question behind is: if there is a clear violation of council full board meeting’s standing order when a cart is put before the horse, who will bear the responsibility? Will the decision become null and void?

The Sun has also reported that “it had been repeatedly point out that MTES – as held by the Shah Alam High Court – is not a legal entity and has no powers whatsoever to decide on any issue”. This will be the second wrongdoing the Council and probably MTES had committed.
It is our advice that MPSJ should put everything transparently by putting the decision on hold before there can be a resolution beneficial to all stakeholders and parties concerned, while MTES should make the report submitted by MPSJ to be available in public domain in accordance to the principle of good governance and transparency.

We would like to reiterate our stand from day one, that there must be a dialogue between MPSJ, business operators under its jurisdiction and fumigators to reach a triple win solutions. Further insistence of the Council to continue with the original decision will certainly draw backfires from the business community under the jurisdiction of MPSJ.

Lee Hwa Beng – Where were you on 30th August?

Although DAP Selangor welcome the decision of the council’s finance committee meeting to put the entire pest control exercise privatization on hold, I still do not understand why Lee Hwa Beng failed to attend the full board council meeting on 30th August to bring up this very important decision of the committee to the knowledge of the President and other councilors?

If Lee Hwa Beng is sincere to uphold the dissatisfactions of the ground towards the council’s unfair ruling, and if Lee Hwa Beng made known of his stance from day one that there should be no monopoly, as reported in The Sun today, why could not he come forward and talk in the face of other councilors and most importantly, the President himself?

Instead of coming forward, Lee Hwa Beng was absent at the meeting, leaving the job to other councilors, which was not something that we can expect from a councilor cum state assemblyman like Lee Hwa Beng.

I hope Lee Hwa Beng can explain this as well, besides him questioning the council on the decision.

Asked to leave full board meeting – I will make a formal complaint to the State Government and seek for an appointment with the Mentri Besar

According to Section 23 Local Government Act 1976, All meetings of the local authority shall be open to the public and to representatives of the Press unless the local authority by resolution at the meeting otherwise decides.

As this concerns good governance in the local level, and also this local councils is by and large a state affair, I will therefore write in to the Mentri Besar not only to highlight the seriousness of the scandal, but also seek the Mentri Besar to at least reprimand the council for showing a poor role model to be an accountable council.

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