'Special' security for Subang Jaya council chief

By R. Nadeswaran (The Sun)

SHAH ALAM (May 26, 2010): The president of the Subang Jaya Municipal Council (MPSJ) enjoys a rare privilege only accorded to cabinet ministers. He has official security for his private home in Shah Alam – paid for by ratepayers.

Every night, a vehicle belonging to MPSJ with two enforcement officers is parked outside Datuk Adnan Md Ikhsan’s house in Jalan Rabung in Bukit Jelutong, Shah Alam.

The irony is that while Subang Jaya ratepayers are out of pocket and breaking the law by putting up illegal barriers and hiring private security guards for their neighbourhood, their council president enjoys the "protection" of council officers for his double-storey corner house.

Their salaries and the overtime are paid for by the council and they are not complaining either. But many in Adnan’s neighbourhood are asking whether it is an abuse of his office and authority.

Investigations showed that a four-wheel drive belonging to MPSJ is parked outside the house from about 10pm to dawn daily. Just after midnight on Wednesday, theSun’s investigative team took some pictures.

One of the officers demanded to know our identity and claimed that we cannot take photographs. We told him to call the police if we had broken the law.

Anyway, enforcement officers from Subang Jaya have no jurisdiction whatsoever in Shah Alam and if at all, they could have made a citizen’s arrest if the "offence" committed is a sizable one.

There was no trespass to property as the photographs were taken from a public road which is accessible to everyone.

Attempts were made to meet Adnan to present the photographs and seek his views but he said he was busy till Tuesday.

It cannot be ascertained for how long Adnan had enjoyed this privilege but according to council insiders, the MPSJ full board had not endorsed any official security for his home.

However it is learnt that Adnan had sought approval from the finance committee to pay overtime to enforcement officers without disclosing the reasons.

It is uncertain how much the assistant enforcement officers have raked in overtime but a lower ranking officer can claim about RM10 an hour.

While council presidents may receive security, it is for the official residence only, and that too a designated security guard – not enforcement officers.

The council president’s official residence was sold about 14 years ago to fund a public library. -- theSun