EDITORIAL: New Mayor Will Have His Plate Full Steering Subang Jaya Back to Its Glory Days

A very warm welcome to our new Captain, Mohd Fauzi Mohd Yatim who will be sworn in as Subang Jaya’s 3^rd Mayor this May 3 2023. There will be no time to waste; and no three months honeymoon for Mohd Fauzi to find his way around the city and make decisions to oil the creaky wheels of the Subang Jaya City Council administration.

Over the past year Subang Jaya appears to have landed up on a slippery slope; sliding downwards in its administration, maintenance and enforcement. One doesn’t need to look beyond the bridge of our nose to see the badly maintained roads in the city; poor waste management, clogged up drains; dirty eateries and congested back lanes of commercial areas.

Subang Jaya needs a new broom that sweeps well and thorough; and not just do it for show. We need an administrator who is tough at the helm but compassionate with the woes of the people. We need Mohd Fauzi to crack the whip where and when it is needed; and to never spare the rod that will spoil the “child(ren)” under his care.

Over the last few months, we have highlighted numerous issues that needed the attention of the city council. Many of these have fallen on deaf ears. Some councillors have verbally said “very hot lah your editorial”. Period. It goes as far as that only.

This month, we reinstated our Special Report series which targets hot potato issues highlighted and brought to us by residents who have long suffered due to the state of neglect and “tidak apa” by the powers that be. Our target for this month has always been in plain sight but has somehow been “missed” by the powers that be.

Our special report is definitely not to place the blame entirely on MBSJ. The photographs we show also “show” the lackadaisical attitude of the public and traders who have contributed to the problem. The problem persists because people continue to ignore the need to maintain cleanliness at their business premises; people continue to throw rubbish into drains and road shoulders; people continue to pour their waste water directly into drains from their kitchen; and people continue to extend into back lanes because no one is bothered about enforcing it.

Two hands make a clap. Just as we point the finger at MBSJ for not doing a good job, we are inevitably pointing our remaining four fingers at ourselves. Are we also at fault for these problems? Are we one of those who discard our waste water from our restaurant direct into the drain? Are we also responsible for throwing our rubbish anywhere we like, except at where we are supposed to be?

We hope that our Special Reports will continue to highlight the change for the betterment for our beloved city. We hope that our civil servants in MBSJ will heed the voice of the people who have continuously highlighted issues that need addressing either on social media or to us. Subang Jaya belongs to all of us whether we are residents or administrators in MBSJ. Don’t we want to see a better Subang Jaya?

We look forward to working closely with Mohd Fauzi in the days to come. We will continue to endeavor to highlight the issues that crop up without fear or favour.

And residents can play their part too. Download the Timestamp Camera Free App on your phone and start taking photographs of chronic issues that have taken too long to be addressed. Whatsapp them to us at wa.link/sc23e1. Make sure you set the App to record the date and location of the highlighted problem that you are going to photograph. Send us a brief on what the problem is.

Have a good month ahead folks. Don’t forget to send me a Whatsapp!