By Sarawakian
The months this year seem to move rather swiftly when they start heading into the final quarter. This is the final month for the 3rd Quarter of 2024 and very soon, after the celebration of Malaysia Day on 16th September 2024, we would soon celebrate Deepavali on 31st October 2024.
Is Subang Jaya still great? Many of us who have lived here since the 1990s would tend to disagree. The rapid development of Subang Jaya went into overdrive in the later years of the 1990s with the new USJ township centered around Taipan.
In those days, Subang Parade shopping center reigned as the must visit place when in Subang Jaya. The favored hotels then were Holiday Villa and Merlin Hotel. That went to become Sheraton Subang and Dorsett Grand Subang later. Holiday Villa closed her doors a few years back and had never come back.
Many of Subang Jaya’s icons of the past seemed forgotten. Sentimentalists would recall how these icons were part of their lives when in Subang Jaya. How many would have recalled that when the Subang International Airport was operational, Subang Jaya around SS12 all the way to SS19 would become a place for airline crew and business people to make stay. The Crocodile Farm seafood restaurant located with the Subang Ria Park was also synonymous with the crowd then.
Did you know that with Subang Parade being so near the airport, the place became a spot for airline crew for short stopovers? There was even a row of duty-free shops in Subang Parade.
SS15 was the hub for a booming private education business. It became a spot where INTI and TAYLORS made a name for themselves. Students from all corners of Malaysia would come here and made Subang Jaya their home throughout the duration. It started with pre-university intakes before diplomas were offered and thereafter, degree courses leading to overseas campuses.
Houses in SS14 and SS15 became a hotbed for student housing. Those in SS12 were then rather pricey and too far to walk. However, students did also make their way to SS12. SS15 also became known for its number of banks in a row.
Then, Subang Jaya was vibrant and beyond SS19 was an oil palm plantation being cleared. USJ2 became the first area to be developed and the only access here was via Persiaran Jengka. At the end of this road, there was dirt road leading down a valley before heading up to USJ2.
Large trees used to line the roads from the roundabouts of Persiaran Jengka and Persiaran Kewajipan. Today, these trees are no longer there, to create the beautiful Subang Jaya we were used to in the 1990s. In the name of progress, roundabouts were replaced with traffic lights. Highways are created and now fly above Subang Jaya with the Kelana Link and the NPE. LRT lines and stations were built, and the landscape made way.
Subang Jaya today is a labyrinth of concrete structures. In the days of the early 2000s, we yearned for more green spaces, and better padangs. Look around today. I guess we have been lied to. The landscaping below the elevated concrete highway of the Kelana Link remains a desert. Devoid of healthy landscaping. What we see is hard- scaping.
SS15 has seen the demise of the Square where in the past, was a food court and an old cinema. The place had countless crows and a population of huge rats. Today, the space has been developed and cleaned up. Drains have been covered and the crows seem lesser. The rat population remains an issue.
The back lanes of SS15 still remain a security and safety hazard. I am not sure what else is needed to get the councillors and ADUN to investigate these issues with the local government. How much time do you really need when in 2008, promises were made by politicians and councillors to make SS15 a better place. It is now 2024. Take a walk there and you will see what I mean.
SS15 has become quieter since the private colleges left. TAYLORS has moved to their new campus in Bandar Sunway. INTI remained still and expanded when they took over Metropolitan College. As time passed, Subang Jaya’s SS15 has lost its mantle as the education hub. Taylors Sunway, Sunway University, Monash University and Sunway College, Sunway International School are all located in Bandar Sunway. Until today, we have not seen a public hospital in Subang Jaya. We only have the Subang Jaya Medical Centre and Sunway Medical Centre. Both are private establishments.
Today, only Sunway Pyramid stands for Subang Jaya. Gone are Subang Parade’s iconic stature, Summit USJ’s attraction as well as Nu Empire and DaMen as places to go to. We once had Subang Parade, Summit USJ and Sunway Pyramid as our heroes. Now we have only one.
It is kind of sad that Subang Jaya is losing its greatness. Do we blame the population change where many have not enjoyed what it was in the 90s but went down throughout the later years? Or should we blame the constant change in the heads of the local government? Look, even if Subang Jaya is now a city, the mayor has been changed 4 times and we now have a 4th mayor since 2020. What is on the mind of those who appointed the mayor? You cannot expect progress like this.
Is Subang Jaya still great? I do not think so. It is not too late for this to be fixed. It starts with us. We must start making noise and build that up until those in power start making positive progress. How many of us know who our ADUN or councilors are? You should get to know who they are and press them. Being united in voice is a good start.
