Furore Over Orang-Orang Mall At Batu Pahat - What Gives?
A nondescript shopping mall has become the centre of controversy in the Batu Pahat Municipal Council (MPBP) when six Umno councillors objected to the local authority’s decision to lift a long-standing "stop-work order" against the developer and have threatened to resign.
The shopping complex in question, Orang-Orang Mall, being built in Dataran Penggaram in the heart of the town here, was originally supposed to be a single-storey building with 12 retail outlets. But following strong demand, the developer opted to expand the building by adding another floor and increase the retail space to 18 units.
However, the necessary amended building plans were not submitted to the council for approval before construction began. The councillors are unhappy that the illegal extension is being allowed by the council despite complaints by ratepayers that the expanded mall will only exacerbate the already chronic lack of parking space in the town.
It is learnt that MPBP had imposed an undisclosed fine and has asked the developer to resubmit the building plans. But the Umno councilors are not satisfied and are insisting that a stop work order be issued until the matter of the amended building plans is properly resolved.
***** I can understand if this protest came from NGOs or the ratepayers association, but surprise, surprise, the ones creating an uproar are actually councillors and that too from Umno!! These are the very people who have distinguished themselves in their only task as councillors and that is to raise their right hand during council meetings and shout "SETUJU." These are freeloaders and passengers on that perpetually running gravy train called Local Council. Their principal raison d'etre is to enrich themselves as much as possible during their tenure, while giving the local council the veneer of legality it needs to carry on with its corrupted activities unimpeded. Period.
It is not clear why the six were unhappy but sources said they were pulling out as a "matter of principle", following the public outcry over Port Klang Assemblyman Datuk Zakaria Mat Deros’s palatial home in Pandamaran, built without approval from the Klang Municipal Council. If this is true, I'm sure that all of us will be extremely happy and gratified that for once councillors have shown some spine and are ready to stand up to abuses perpetrated by the local authorities.
Hopefully over the next few days things will become clearer and then we shall probably be in a better position to decide whether this new found courage of some councillors is basically on principled and altruistic grounds, if ulterior motive is the root cause or some yet undetermined power play is in progress.
The shopping complex in question, Orang-Orang Mall, being built in Dataran Penggaram in the heart of the town here, was originally supposed to be a single-storey building with 12 retail outlets. But following strong demand, the developer opted to expand the building by adding another floor and increase the retail space to 18 units.
However, the necessary amended building plans were not submitted to the council for approval before construction began. The councillors are unhappy that the illegal extension is being allowed by the council despite complaints by ratepayers that the expanded mall will only exacerbate the already chronic lack of parking space in the town.
It is learnt that MPBP had imposed an undisclosed fine and has asked the developer to resubmit the building plans. But the Umno councilors are not satisfied and are insisting that a stop work order be issued until the matter of the amended building plans is properly resolved.
***** I can understand if this protest came from NGOs or the ratepayers association, but surprise, surprise, the ones creating an uproar are actually councillors and that too from Umno!! These are the very people who have distinguished themselves in their only task as councillors and that is to raise their right hand during council meetings and shout "SETUJU." These are freeloaders and passengers on that perpetually running gravy train called Local Council. Their principal raison d'etre is to enrich themselves as much as possible during their tenure, while giving the local council the veneer of legality it needs to carry on with its corrupted activities unimpeded. Period.
It is not clear why the six were unhappy but sources said they were pulling out as a "matter of principle", following the public outcry over Port Klang Assemblyman Datuk Zakaria Mat Deros’s palatial home in Pandamaran, built without approval from the Klang Municipal Council. If this is true, I'm sure that all of us will be extremely happy and gratified that for once councillors have shown some spine and are ready to stand up to abuses perpetrated by the local authorities.
Hopefully over the next few days things will become clearer and then we shall probably be in a better position to decide whether this new found courage of some councillors is basically on principled and altruistic grounds, if ulterior motive is the root cause or some yet undetermined power play is in progress.
Labels: Majlis Mania.
posted by The Malaysian. at 12/04/2006 03:33:00 PM
5 Comments:
yah, sounds fishy eh?.. i hope someone will be able to provide some insight soon...
hmmm i am from batu pahat, and honestly, parking is fast becoming a MAJOR SERIOUS problem setanding dgn KL and PJ.
so, not surprised if they want to solve any outstanding issues prior to allowing the building plans to resume.
Jalan Rahmat -- the major road in BP where DP is located is rapidly becoming the most congested.
and there's another mall being built along jln kluang. stop that as well leh hehe... we don't need anymore malls omg!! demolish the one near my house!! empty like nothing... erm memang nothing only! gimme back my kampung roads
the malaysian,
wow! what cynicism! while the facts remain sketchy at best, and i concede this itself gives cause for the tone of your posting, can we not defer damnation till a clearer picture emerges?
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suanie, u sure u want transported back to 'kampong' roads?
My best bet is that the six 'principled councillors' hands were not greased by the developer; but others were!
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