MPAJ endorsed Road Hogs

When one offends THM, it means that they are offending ZR, which in turn means AA and finally DSAI, and no one in MPAJ dares to do that as it will be a surefire way of shortening one’s tenure of employment with MPAJ.

Parlimen Selangor

Malaysia is unique and peerless in the sense that public car parking bays are most of the time exclusively reserved for other functions and purposes other than originally intended. Almost always, even the pedestrian walkways are subsequently “conquered” as well.

Not only are these space comprehensively used as street hawkers lots, they are also utilized as extended workshops for auto repair and car accessories shops, a pre-wash rinse area for carwash shops, an alfresco dining hall for food hawkers and coffee shops, open air showrooms, personal car parks and whatnots.

However, in the area right outside Spectrum Shopping Mall in Ampang, MPAJ has taken yet another giant stride forward by permitting the construction of permanent structures that encroaches deep onto the allocated public carpark bays, up to a meter in length, hence shortening the parking bays by almost a third. Ever seen a Kancil that is unable to fit into these parking bays or a Myvi with its butt protruding out? Well, you could, if you would just take the time to drive down there but don’t expect any normal parking bays.

What MPAJ could have easily done was to redraw the parking bay lines but they can’t do that. One may ask “why not” and herein lies the dilemma.

The abovementioned area is under the jurisdiction of MPAJ councilor Tan Hua Meng (Ketua Zon Lapan) who is of course the blue-eyed boy of Zuraida Kamaruddin, the PKR Ahli Parlimen for Ampang, who in turn is Azmin’s chief cohort in Selangor. When one offends THM, it means that they are offending ZR, which in turn means AA and finally DSAI, and no one in MPAJ dares to do that as it will be a surefire way of shortening one’s tenure of employment with MPAJ. Some councilors are unafraid of doing so and that is why they are on their way out from MPAJ, as their appointments were not renewed (as of 29 February).

THM is of course the white headed chap who screamed Hell a few months ago when MPAJ approved the construction of a 16-storey condominium project in Taman Nirwana Fasa 2 in Ampang, stating that MPAJ did so without consulting or informing him. (If he didn’t snore that loudly during the MPAJ council meetings, he might actually have heard snippets of that particular issue being debated there.) He was also one of three names on a list handed to DSAI in July 2009, which prompted an internal investigation that led to his forced resignation as a MPAJ councilor (and subsequently reappointed by ZR in 2010).

Does one hear THM screaming Hell now?

The issue in question is called Ampang Walk, basically the entire area surrounding Spectrum Shopping Mall right in the heart of Ampang New Village, where a temporary extension onto the walkways would require a MPAJ permit, let alone the permanent encroachment onto the roads. So, was there ever a permit issued by MPAJ? As far as all the deep-throats were concerned, none was ever issued.

Question number two: Was this proposal ever mentioned during MPAJ’s council meeting? The answer is yes, in 2009 before THM was forced to resign his post as Ketua Zon, but the proposal was rejected by the other MPAJ councilors.

Question number three: Was the proposal ever brought up again after that? The answer is no.

Ah ha! So, the question now is “who officially authorized the project”? The building owner? Nah. Perhaps it was Hades or we could all just blame it on Najib’s dad (since he isn’t around to defend himself) or even on illegal Indonesian aliens (who has this tendency to erect illegal structures).

Does one hear THM screaming Hell now? Well, he should (after he reads this article in full).

To be fair to THM, though not discounting his powers of persuasion, he does not possess sufficient clout to empower and advocate the project. However, for MPAJ to shy away from this, it would have required one of the biggest fish in the pond. Let us put it this way: if any of the retailers in this area even dares to put up a canopy on the carpark bays without first obtaining a MPAJ permit, the enforcement unit would have been there in half a heartbeat, either with their summons book or coffee order chits; and here we are talking about the entire area surrounding the shopping mall, not just a few carpark bays.

And why is THM not screaming Hell now? Well, it was himself that proposed this particular project in the very beginning and incidentally, the main contractor is one of his “people”. Newsflash: In another unrelated matter, an independent building contractor with the initials FTK was seen in the company of THM and ZR, sipping gourmet coffee in Ampang Walk.

My two questions to the Selangor State Government and to MPAJ is rather simplistic in nature, “Could such a major project be approved by the municipal council without themselves knowing about it”, and “have all the MPAJ enforcement officers ran out of their summons book”? (Balu order belum mali lah…)

Guess who officiated the opening ceremony of Ampang Walk? Her name is prominently engraved on the foundation stone/plague right outside Spectrum Shopping Mall but could this however be the tombstone that finally buries her and her minions? Probably not, especially with a powerful patron such as Azmin, but it will occupy her actions and thoughts until the people votes her out in the next general election.

Hopefully, Azmin will follow her into oblivion.