Residents group seeks registration

26/06/2007 The Star By K.W. Mak

THE All Petaling Jaya Pro-Action Committee (Appac) submitted its registration form to the Registrar of Societies yesterday.

Appac is a coalition of residents' associations and is not affiliated to any political party. The group has successfully tackled several local governance issues in Petaling Jaya.

The residents group was formed in April 2006 after residents from the PJ Utara and PJ Selatan constituencies joined forces to demand the then Petaling Jaya Municipal Council justify an increase in assessment charges by allowing the public to view the council’s detailed accounts.

Briefing: On March 18, Appac committee members (from left) Liew Wei Beng, Lee, Tengku Nazaruddin and Khong Chee Seng briefed residents over the water issue.

The assessment issue is still pending, but Appac had highlighted many other improprieties including an attempt to privatise billboard advertising without compensation to the council and the council’s practise of getting billboard advertising companies to donate money towards the council’s football team.

With public perception of the council’s integrity waning, the council did not carry out the privatisation exercise and scrapped the football team.

Shortly after the formation of Appac’s pro-tem committee, the group also formed the Condominium, Apartment and  High-rise Committee (CAHC) to tackle issues affecting stratified property owners.

Under the CAHC banner, the group got the Selangor state government to come up with a policy that allowed the reading of water meters in apartments to be transferred from the management corporation to the state water supplier and stopped the Sea Park Apartments Management Corporation from selling car parks to owners who were against the move.

Both Appac and CAHC received endorsement from 46 residents associations in Petaling Jaya and 39 Condominium-based residents associations.

Once formed, Appac plans to offer full membership to individual citizens of Petaling Jaya, institutions including residents associations, neighbourhood committees, community centres, companies and organisations in Petaling Jaya and associate membership to any other interested parties residing in Petaling Jaya and other areas in Malaysia.

The office bearers for the group are: Edward Lee - president, Tengku Nazaruddin Zainuddin - vice-president, Liew Wei Beng - secretary, Khong Chee Seng - assistant secretary and Thiruvalluvar Subramaniam - treasurer. Committee member for the group are Mohamad Umar Peer Mohamad.

“We are registering Appac because the community is asking for long term representation to help them tackle local problems apolitically and effectively,” said Lee.

Lee said Appac had, up till now, been gathering opinions from the public to try and resolve outstanding issues.

Lee spelt out the two options open to Appac as:
- Whether to institute action to prosecute the wrong-doers in the billboards/sports and football club issue and demand for the recovery of the ill gotten gains and the total waiver of the increase in assessment OR
- Accept the waiver of the penalties for late payment for 2006 announced earlier in an MBPJ full board meeting and allow MBPJ to sort out the problems themselves.

“Notwithstanding these options, Appac holds the council fully accountable to recover the losses and to make known to the public the steps taken by the council to ensure anomalies and mismanagement do nor recur,” said Lee.

Residents who would like to know more about Appac or provide feedback can email appac.cahc@gmail.com or call Tengku Nazaruddin at 012-284 9146, Mohd Umar Peer Mohd at 016-298 6710 or Khong Chee Seng at 017-878 2881. themselves will decide on and carry out activities that can help foster goodwill among the people and also create better ties between the people and the government,” he said.