PJ City Status; Government-Public Disconnect.
It should be a proud moment for the residents of Petaling Jaya but it seems that many of them are not aware that the town they live in will attain city status tomorrow.
None of the people interviewed by The Star at several locations here yesterday, knew that June 20 was the day when Petaling Jaya would become Malaysia's newest city.
A biochemistry student who only wanted to be known as Dhaya expressed surprise, as she had thought Petaling Jaya's status had already been upgraded five days ago.
“I thought the celebration was already over,” the 21-year-old said.
Many also considered the declaration less than significant.
Suzanne Goh, 28, said the declaration would be “just another celebration” because Petaling Jaya had “felt like a city all this while.”
Goh, who volunteers at a recycling initiative, hoped that once city status was achieved, Petaling Jaya would intensify efforts to get its denizens to recycle their waste.
“I hope to have better cooperation with the local council in efforts to reduce waste and to further improve public awareness on recycling,” she said.
A manager Wong Chee Kin, 42, said: “If they use public money well, it does not matter if PJ is a village or a city.”
When asked what their wishes were for the City of Petaling Jaya, many hoped for an improved standard of living.
“I hope the crime rate will be lower, and that there will be more jobs. I also hope the place will be cleaner,” said Tang Chee Han, 24, an accounts controller.
Mohd Nazari Abdul Majid, 45, a security administration officer, also expressed hope for better living standards.
“It is part of achieving Vision 2020. There should be better facilities and more jobs,” he said.
When asked whether they could name all the other cities in Malaysia, none could.
While all knew that Kuala Lumpur was a city, several named Putrajaya, Penang, Klang and surprisingly even Kulim as cities.
**** So there you have it. Basically the public could not be bothered with the city status hype. Only and only the government is 'hoo haa'ing about the whole thing and carelessly splurging precious public funds in the name of some false pride status. The MB and his associates in government should instead do something worthwhile and useful for the citizens rather than waste their time and our resources on a public relations exercise calculated to benefit him and his colleagues.
These are not old times where respect for politicians holds us back from criticizing them. No more . If Toyo or any politician tries to dupe the public with contrived achievements to bolster their reputation there will be voices against them; this blog included.
None of the people interviewed by The Star at several locations here yesterday, knew that June 20 was the day when Petaling Jaya would become Malaysia's newest city.
A biochemistry student who only wanted to be known as Dhaya expressed surprise, as she had thought Petaling Jaya's status had already been upgraded five days ago.
“I thought the celebration was already over,” the 21-year-old said.
Many also considered the declaration less than significant.
Suzanne Goh, 28, said the declaration would be “just another celebration” because Petaling Jaya had “felt like a city all this while.”
Goh, who volunteers at a recycling initiative, hoped that once city status was achieved, Petaling Jaya would intensify efforts to get its denizens to recycle their waste.
“I hope to have better cooperation with the local council in efforts to reduce waste and to further improve public awareness on recycling,” she said.
A manager Wong Chee Kin, 42, said: “If they use public money well, it does not matter if PJ is a village or a city.”
When asked what their wishes were for the City of Petaling Jaya, many hoped for an improved standard of living.
“I hope the crime rate will be lower, and that there will be more jobs. I also hope the place will be cleaner,” said Tang Chee Han, 24, an accounts controller.
Mohd Nazari Abdul Majid, 45, a security administration officer, also expressed hope for better living standards.
“It is part of achieving Vision 2020. There should be better facilities and more jobs,” he said.
When asked whether they could name all the other cities in Malaysia, none could.
While all knew that Kuala Lumpur was a city, several named Putrajaya, Penang, Klang and surprisingly even Kulim as cities.
**** So there you have it. Basically the public could not be bothered with the city status hype. Only and only the government is 'hoo haa'ing about the whole thing and carelessly splurging precious public funds in the name of some false pride status. The MB and his associates in government should instead do something worthwhile and useful for the citizens rather than waste their time and our resources on a public relations exercise calculated to benefit him and his colleagues.
These are not old times where respect for politicians holds us back from criticizing them. No more . If Toyo or any politician tries to dupe the public with contrived achievements to bolster their reputation there will be voices against them; this blog included.
posted by The Malaysian. at 6/19/2006 01:35:00 PM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home