Their most demanding task is dealing with day-to-day problems.
THE last few months have been hectic and even harrowing for the new councillors appointed to the Petaling Jaya City Council (MBPJ).
They have been busy familiarising themselves with the local council set-up and operation, learning about its departments, the rules, regulations, procedures, attending committee meetings and getting to know the people in their assigned zones.
While some initially thought that their basic role was policy-making, they now realise that dealing with the day-to-day problems faced by the people is the most demanding aspect of their role as councillors.
They have to deal with almost non-stop complaints from the residents in their zones — from petty matters such as uncollected rubbish to more serious matters like floods.
And they have to explore and find ways to resolve these problems, seeking out the departments and relevant officials to get the problems dealt with.
Although all 24 councillors have been assigned zones to oversee, not all of them have their service centres set up yet.
According to MBPJ public relations officer Zainun Zakaria, the council’s engineering department is in the final stage of getting the service centres ready for operation.
“The locations of all 24 service centres have been identified and will hopefully be ready by the end of this month,” Zainun said.
StarMetro interviewed four of the councillors to find out what they have been doing since their appointments.
Tiew Way Keng, 27, lawyer
Zone: SS1, 3 and 9A
Contact: 016-338 1563 / aduantwk@gmail.com
Service centre: Dewan Seri Setia, Jalan SS9A/1
Talk to me: Tiew standing outside Dewan Seri Setia where her service centre will be located.
Tiew said she had discovered that she had to use different approaches when dealing with residents in her zones.
“The SS9A new village residents prefer meeting me personally and expect me to turn up at their meetings or attend to their complaints,” she said.
“The SS1 and SS3 residents, who comprise those in the middle to upper-income groups, want to know the status of their complaints. I usually keep them updated via e-mails.”
In the process, Tiew has learnt that she needs to be approachable, patient and able to communicate well. “I need to be careful whenever I speak in Chinese. Certain words or phrases can be misinterpreted by the residents and make them upset,” she said.
Tiew lists her priorities as educating the people to know that a councillor is not their only mean of seeking solution to their problems and streamlining the process at the MBPJ so that complainants can monitor the status of the complaint from the officer in charge, and fighting for good governance and zero corruption.
Tiew is forming a committee comprising local representatives from residents associations and NGOs who would be more familiar in handling the residents’ problems and needs.
“I plan to have a monthly healthcare programme for residents, because there are many senior citizens in my zone,” she said.
“I will also work closely with Kampung Tunku assemblyman Lau Weng San and PJ Utara MP Tony Pua to ensure that there is no duplicity or redundancy in our work,” Tiew said.
Dr Melasutra Md Dali, 44, lecturer
Zone: PJS 1 and 2
Service centre: Most likely at Pasar Taman Datuk Harun, PJS 2 
Urban planner: Melasutra’s field of specialisation is in land use and recreational and social planning, and urban management.
Melasutra believes in empowering society and wants to educate and encourage the people in her zone to make them work with the MBPJ.
“I hope to create programmes that are continuous and beneficial to the community. I view my appointment as a positive opportunity and feel that my roles as a lecturer, councillor and NGO member (with Jamaah Islah Malaysia) are inter-related,” she said.
“The main issues are on safety, housing, youth and health,” Melasutra said of her zone that comprises residents from the low- to middle-income group.
Melasutra has formed a focus group comprising representatives from various groups in PJ Selatan to get in-depth information about their complaints, dissatisfactions and expectations.
“Because their voices weren’t heard as much before, I’m now working on systematically listing their issues. A lot has to be done, and can be done if channelled to the right department and people,” she said.
“The main issue in PJS 1 would be transit homes, while the problem in PJS 2 concerns the lack of open space and recreational facilities for children and youths,” Melasutra said.
“I hope to improve the residents’ living conditions and make their environment more livable. The place is so congested and there isn’t enough infrastructure and recreational outlets for the youngsters to put their energies into.”
Melasutra feels that a councillor should be committed to contributing to the council and city while having a good system to back up their work to ensure an efficient and transparent output.
Richard Yeoh, 55, civil society representative
Zone: Sections 11, 12 and 13
Service centre: Yet to be confirmed 
Bring it on: Yeoh wants to see better infrastructure for PJ residents.
According to Yeoh, the councillors have had their hands full in getting a hang of how the MBPJ functions and to clear the backlog of work during the five months when the councillors were not in place.
“The most common complaints I had to deal with pertain to traffic lights, inadequate streetlights and heavy traffic, especially when there’s an event going on,” he said.
“There are a number of major unresolved issues and we’re working to find solutions for these.”
Yeoh feels that PJ residents are generally quite understanding, although it could be a grace period for the councillors to get a grip of their duties and responsibilities.
Yeoh’s priority is to look into the PJ public transport system. “The MBPJ has received proposals to develop or redevelop existing properties belonging to the local council or state land, but it’s difficult to approve new development projects if the traffic and public transportation issues aren’t resolved,” he said.
“Although it is a federal government issue, the state and local government could look into a basic transport system for the people like a mini-bus or shuttle system,” Yeoh said.
“I want to push this matter to set a model for the country as it is key before any new developments are approved.”
Among the qualities he thinks a councillor should have are a desire to serve the community, a passion to improve the council’s services, interest in interacting with people and being resourceful when solving problems.
A. Thiruvenggadam, 48, insurance agency manager
Zone: Sections 8, 14 and 51A
Service centre: Unit 16, Plaza Sunken, Menara MBPJ
Hard at work: Thiruvenggadam attending to some paperwork at his service centre.
Thiruvenggadam is one of the first MBPJ councillors to have a fully functional service centre, and has been busy attending to flood and abandoned house problems in Section 8, where he also resides.
“I’m trying to do whatever I can to help the urban poor in areas like Lembah Subang, Kota Damansara, PJS 1 and Desa Mentari,” he said.
“I’m proposing that the MBPJ push the federal government to set up a general hospital for the people in PJ and platforms under the MBPJ for poor people to start simple businesses and programmes to eradicate poverty,” Thiruvenggadam said.
“Meanwhile, I managed to get the MBPJ clinic in Section 8, which was previously meant for MBPJ employees only to also cater to the poor in PJ.”
Thiruvenggadam feels that PJ residents are generally cooperative and educated, but there is a delay in getting things done at the MBPJ due to a lack of integration among its departments.
“My priorities right now would be to attend to the major problems in my zone like drainage, playground, traffic and security by December,” he said.
“After that, I want to concentrate on the social development in my zone and make it a more conducive place to live in by increasing community facilities and having racial integration programmes.”
Thiruvenggadam believes that the MBPJ should evolve such that its mechanisms can handle complaints on its own and have a more multi-racial workforce.
He said a councillor needed to manage his time well and should have adequate knowledge about the country’s legal, political and socio-economic culture and other areas of plural co-existence of the people.
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