EDITORIAL: Sometimes Just Saying Something is Good Just Ain’t Enough

VERY few people appreciate the good things they have in front of them until they are gone. People, unfortunately tend to take many things for granted; thinking that it will last forever or perhaps someone else will intervene to help.

Many play lip service – “Oh! That’s very good!”; “Keep it Up!”; “You are Doing a Good Job!” etc etc and they walk away. Unfortunately, things don’t work that way in reality.

Being involved and immersed in community work in Subang Jaya has made me realise that people are more likely to say something nice and think that’s enough. For those of you who have been side-by-side with me in initiating a community ambulance service for Subang Jaya; and those who have stood by my side keeping this invaluable service alive will know what I mean.

For almost six months now, we have been reaching out to the community to help us keep the community ambulance service afloat. Funds to operate the service to save lives have been dipping below the danger level and we had sent out alerts to community leaders of the dire need to solicit public donations to keep this service going.

Many had responded while others have just conveniently let it slip. Perhaps they think we will manage without their help. Perhaps they don’t care or maybe they think it is not their pet project. A few of us have stubbornly stuck on and gritted our teeth to fundraise to keep this service alive not just for ourselves but to continue saving lives in Subang Jaya.

How difficult is it financially to contribute RM10 a month individually? I know a bowl of curry laksa now costs RM10 every time I sit order it. If 10,000 Subang Jaya residents contributed RM10 monthly, it would go towards continuing to run the ambulance service for the next 4 months.

Is it difficult to get 10,000 people to chip in RM10 monthly? Forgive me for being pessimistic and sarcastic – YES! It is more likely that a hammer drops from the sky and kills me than to get 10,000 people to chip in RM10 in Subang Jaya.

Playing your part to help save lives in Subang Jaya should not be merely by lip service. Come help us before it’s too late.

We’ve had some saviours in Subang Jaya who have stepped forward to assist us to take care of the bills to run the community ambulance. Thankfully, this has helped us delay the shutdown of this service, which when it happens will be permanent. Subang MP Wong Chen has pledged RM20,000 annually to assist us; ADUN Subang Jaya Michelle Ng contributes RM10,000 annually from her budget to assist us. Several corporates have stepped forward.

But people of Subang Jaya (whom we serve in emergencies), where are you?

Going on to another matter which relates to the work the community ambulance does on a daily basis – motor-vehicular accidents. Paramedics have been called upon to attend to motor-vehicular accidents more frequently in recent months. While we are not going to judge who is wrong and who is right, the cases mainly involve motorcyclists who hit or were hit by a car and sometimes a bigger vehicle.

Are the authorities carrying out enforcement on speeding vehicles (or motorcycles)? Are the authorities enforcing the law on those who beat the lights? Are the authorities throwing the book at those who ride against traffic? And are the authorities taking any action on those who stop in a yellow box?

Discipline on the road appears to be lacking these days. Motorists and motorcyclists alike seem to think it’s okay to beat the lights at the junction, to go in whichever direction they want to so long as there’s no uniformed officer nearby. Lives are lost daily because of this lackadaisical attitude when we get into or onto our vehicle to get to our destination.

We step into the month of May and we continue to enjoy the Hari Raya celebrations which are still ongoing. There are many more open houses to attend and more merry-making to enjoy. Let’s have a safe and good month ahead.

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