UNEASE IN SUBANG JAYA

By Sarawakian

We are heading towards the end of 2025 and now in the last quarter of the year. Time really does not wait for anyone. The last 9 months had been nothing but ordinary. The same is felt by my kopitiam kaki as we sat in Kedai Kopi Nanking in Taipan USJ10 for our usual meet up. As we munched our kueh and sipped our drinks, the fried oyster omelette came by our table, courtesy of one of the kakis who belanja. This stall only opens in the evenings in case you would like to try their impressive oyster omelette.

The weather was hot, and a few beers joined the table too. Satay came next as the extra serving for dinner that evening. Conversations began with the gossip revolving around Subang Jaya. To be honest, there was much more disappointment than happiness with the current situation.

Questions were put to each other asking if anyone of us really knew who our current councilor in our area of residence is. We all laughed as most could not even remember nor even have heard of them. The answers came before checking on MBSJ’s website. As we decided to check and verify if we had ever met them, nearly all said, no. One of us said ada but rarely. Sadly, for the rest of us, each never knew who they were and as they ever introduced themselves publicly.

We all laughed as it was the same agreed issue when local elections were not held, we get councilors nominated for each Zone and Kawasan within Subang Jaya. Those selected, we have no idea if they even lived amongst us. Even if they did, we wondered if they were publicly known by the majority. If you would like to reach them, most of us would not even know if they had an office to take our concerns. What is the use of telephone numbers and emails placed on MBSJ’s website when they do not come out publicly to show themselves. It was as if it was the community’s prerogative to seek them out. The people were not the boss mah said one of us.

One of our kakis who has Facebook said one councilor always appeared on his feed and he loves to play pickle ball and pose for pictures other than sometimes highlighting the work of a councilor being done. What about the rest we asked? It is not like we want to play Facebook all the time for goodness’ sake. We would rather have face to face kopitiam talks. That would have been better. With ayes around, we hoped the councilors would come out and do kopitiam sembang sembang.

One of us quickly whipped out his smart phone and asked an AI program to provide an idea as to the role of a councilor in Subang Jaya. The following came out and copy pasted here and shared amongst us.

“Subang Jaya councilors, appointed to a two-year term by the Selangor State Government, are local government representatives responsible for representing the interests of their communities and acting as a link between residents and the Subang Jaya City Council (MBSJ). Their work includes making decisions on municipal services and development, overseeing the upkeep of public infrastructure, and addressing community concerns such as waste collection, roads, and public health.

Key Responsibilities

Community Representation: Councilors are the voices of their wards, attending council meetings to voice community concerns and advocate for the interests of their residents.

Policy Making & Oversight: They participate in various committees and meetings to contribute to policymaking and oversee municipal programs and services.

Bridging the Gap: Councilors serve as a crucial link between the public and the MBSJ, explaining decisions, providing information, and facilitating public participation in local government.

Community Well-being: They work to improve the general well-being of their neighborhoods by addressing issues related to public services like waste management, sanitation, and maintenance of public facilities such as parks and recreational areas.

Advocating for Residents: Councilors help residents with issues such as understanding the council’s responsibilities, which include matters like property assessment taxes, trading licenses, and flooded drains.

How They Are Selected

In Selangor, including Subang Jaya, councilors are appointed by the state government rather than elected through popular votes.

Appointments are made based on the political coalition that controls the state government and power-sharing agreements between parties.

Candidates are typically chosen from party workers or individuals with community experience.

What They Are NOT

Councilors are not the city’s administrators or officials but rather the elected or appointed representatives of the people to the council.

They are not solely responsible for providing municipal services themselves but rather for overseeing and influencing the council’s decision-making in these areas.”

Interesting notes from the AI program. We each wondered if the program clarified our query accurately. If it did, then we all asked if the councilors were really focused on their role or have just sat around to keep the seats warm.

The key question which arose in our discussion was this. If the government nominates based on submitted names by the coalition in power, then who is their minder? The political party? MBSJ’s Mayor? The State Exco? The MB? What about the ADUN? Does the ADUN have any say about any of the councilor’s effort delivery? Ada review system kah? By the way, most of us have not seen the ADUN walking around as frequently since the last campaign for election. Geleng kepala was all we could each do.

We next went on the topic of seeing rats in Taipan. We all agreed that the rats in Taipan now are the same size as those in SS15. One of us even saw a pair of large rats at the bins in front of a well-known bank and the two new coffee places. We then said it is biasalah. Complain also no use.

Anything about having a cleaner Subang Jaya would never really be focused on. It is just good public relations fodder during campaign times. Otherwise, talk until puke also nobody cares. Of course, everyone needs to do their part but when it comes to being stubborn, then you would need punitive actions.

We also wondered if the pedestrian walkways leading to the train stations and bus stops would get improved faster. There does not seem to be much haste about making Subang Jaya connect safely and making pedestrians and cyclists feel included.

Perhaps the councilors and ADUN could walk the pedestrian walkways and do random checks of the bus stops and train station links. Evaluate their accessibility for an ageing Subang Jaya. One of us remarked that the pedestrian bridge between SS14 and SS15 seemed unkempt and needed to be investigated. We all agreed that public facilities should be a real focus now.

So apa macam? Let us see what else would come up with our next catch-up session.