Thursday, August 16, 2007

Illegal advertisers get bolder

STICKERS and leaflets plastered on lampposts, street signs and public utilities have long been an eyesore, but some advertisers have gone one step further by advertising their services on large banners and bunting.

A number of these have sprouted around Petaling Jaya, especially in the SunwayMas Commercial Centre and Aman Suria areas.

Aman Suria residents committee chairman Wendy Chan said the banners had been up for at least a year, and had become an eyesore.

She said it was the Petaling Jaya City Council’s (MBPJ) responsibility to do their job by enforcing rules and taking action against those who put up the illegal banners and bunting.

Call at your own risk: Banners and bunting put up by money lending companies are especially prominent.

“They’ve been there for so long. MBPJ officers should conduct enforcement on their own initiative instead of waiting for residents to point out the problem,” she said.

Chan said she would raise the issue at the next Petaling Jaya Utara (PJU) monthly meeting with MBPJ, which is chaired by Damansara Utama assemblyman Datuk Lim Choon Kin, and attended by residents’ representatives in PJU.

Kg Chempaka resident Zubir Suardi noted that these advertisements were more prominent in the commercial areas, though there were some in residential areas.

“The advertisements used to be in the form of small stickers, but they’re growing bigger in size and increasing in number.

Eyesore: MBPJ says they could not clean up illegal advertising in some areas due to a shortage of staff.

“I’ve seen MBPJ enforcement officers passing these areas, but they’ve never done anything about the banners,” said the 49-year-old labourer who also frequents a park in nearby SS25.

“Some banners and bunting were put up as recently as two weeks ago,” said M. Balakrishnan, a lorry driver who has been working in Dataran Prima and Aman Suria for 10 years.

The 60-year-old said he had seen MBPJ enforcement officers issuing parking summonses around the SunwayMas and Aman Suria areas, but they had never taken down any of the banners.


The most prominent banners are those put up by money lending companies, though there are others offering services like tuition, computer repair, printing, house renovation and car wash, as well as promotions by restaurants and optical companies.

Illegal: Poster-sized banners posted by the roadside are now part of the scenery in many areas of PJ. When contacted, MBPJ public relations officer Zainon Zakaria said the enforcement unit made daily rounds to check on illegal bunting and banners.

However, she said some areas may have been overlooked due to a shortage of staff.

She said the council would take down all illegal bunting and banners in Aman Suria and other areas in Petaling Jaya soon.

Zainon said those who wished to advertise using bunting and banners should apply for a special permit from the council.

“They should submit an application to the licensing department. This can be done over counters 8, 9 and 10 at the MBPJ office.

“When an application is sent, it’s charged according to its size,” she added.

She said that the council had taken down 9,228 bunting and banners between Jan 1 and Aug 12 this year.

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