LIGHT AT THE END OF THE TUNNEL

I saw the above article in The Sun yesterday as I was having my capati and sardine at NZ Curry House, Wangsa Maju.

After being listed as the 3rd Rudest City in the world, I guess trying to learn some manners/etiquette is a step in the right direction. After all, there is an ongoing "Budi Bahasa Budaya Kita" campaign isn't it? The fact that a couple of our ministers and MPs are apparently clueless about this campaign does not demean the spirit and noble aim of the campaign. I, for one, would not object to DBKL's top people sitting down to dinner together and try to use the silverware without the clickety-clack of a school hostel's dining hall. The tuxedo is another matter though. I am not sure tux is among the uniform of the civil servants. I know that when I was in the service, I could claim for the ceremonial "monkey suit" that can be seen in the shop window of some tailors.

The above article elicited many responses. If anybody cares, mine was just one word: PRIORITIZE! You see, my apartment's MC (Managing Corporation) is DBKL. I pay a monthly service fee. The fee is for services like security and maintenance. Currently, security is below par. The perimeter fencing is down and last week alone there were 4 cases of robbery reported. At the end of last year I discovered that the ceiling in one of my bathrooms dripped foul-smelling liquid. The bathroom in the unit above me leaks. I could not unilaterally invade other people's toilets. I politely informed DBKL. Nothing was done. I called again and they told me to write a letter. I wrote a polite letter. A few months back, after several phone calls, the problem was surveyed and confirmed. Repair was not done.

Somebody told me that when you want things done, do not talk to the monkeys but talk to the organ-grinder. The top brass that I talked to was nice and caring. Another minion came to look at my bathroom's ceiling. It raised my hope. Many many days later, the bathroom upstairs still was not fixed. I managed to talk to the Tehnician in charge and he told me that he has submitted a request for a budget and was waiting for an approval. How much does a plastic pipe cost? He told me to talk to his boss, an engineer. Before I could get to his boss, the technician called me again and sort of pleaded for me to repair the leaky pipe myself. Maybe it is true what the Americans say about "not fighting City Hall".

Then, a few weeks back, a lady somewhere in the city complained that DBKL pasted a notice on her newly painted door. The notice was warning her to paint her premise. I would like DBKL to paste a notice on any block in Vista Angkasa. The building has not been painted for more than 10 years. If you are from PJ and driving past the Kota Darul Ehsan, look to the right. You can see the scruffiest building this side of Chow Kit Road. I was hoping that it would be painted during the years when major events were held in KL (Commonwealth Games, NAM etc.) Zilch! The excuse given was "No budget".

Is there a light at the end of the tunnel? I say, my friend, the electric tariff has gone up. Electric bills not paid so light switched off.