"Harapkan Pagar, Pagar Makan Padi"

Tuesday, 2 March 2010

"Harapkan Pagar, Pagar Makan Padi"

HOW many of us know the meaning of this proverb? We have learned this in our early years in school and until today, we use this all the time in formal presentations or even at the mamak shop when we chat about local issues. This Malay proverb literally means "the fence gobbling up the paddy it is supposed to protect".
This proverb reminds us never to be complacent and take things for granted. It also reminds us that we should never hand over absolute power to our leaders, even community leaders to execute things as they wish. If we do, we will find betrayal of that trust just around the corner.
There are many cases of possible “pagar makan padi” in our community, if we hand them the license to literally “eat” into us.
Wolf in Sheep’s Clothing
Just last month, I was involved in a chase in the neighbourhood with several residents of a suspected burglar. For weeks, we were wondering how a spate of house break-ins could happen right under our noses. Then, when the suspect (because he was spotted in broad daylight and the resident could recognize him) was spotted, the long arms of the law finally caught up with him.
What’s strange about this incident? We discovered that the suspect actually lives within our neighbourhood. It shocked us all. We have always advocated “semangat kejiranan” (spirit of neighbourliness) and here we have a neighbour preying on his neighbours.
Gated & Guarded – Divides or Unites?
I have been a proponent for the Gated and Guarded scheme for some time now. It helps give a sense of security for residents as a group to secure their area and deter crime in a more integrated and systematic way.
But are we depending too much on the fencing and the guards that we now go back into our own homes and forget that part and parcel of our security lies in the numbers we have as neighbours? Neighbourliness is an important aspect in combating crime and we must never forget that. Don’t forget your neighbours even if you are living within a G&G scheme.
Knowing your neighbours will help you also weed out whom you can trust and whom you should be wary of. Obviously we do not want a wolf living next door as well.
Don’t let the fencing divide you. Let it be the catalyst to unite you even further.

Community Leaders and their limitations
There is a lot of trust and good will extended to those residents who spare their time to lead the community in the many initiatives to further improve our living conditions in Subang Jaya.
Community leaders should be selfless and willing to take the lead because they know it will benefit the community. They are not jobless people and neither are they people who have too much time on their hands to kill.
Many hold full-time jobs and have to juggle between work, family and community. We should not just praise these leaders for their social work but also support them. Don’t just give them a pat on the back and move on. Join in.
But what happens when you get overzealous community leaders who think they are the local people’s representative? What happens when they forget that they need to consult residents first before they speak their mind on certain issues? And worse still, what happens when we as residents just keep silent and allow these individuals to spin their web of overzealousness and tarnish the good image of the community? Is this allowing the fence that is supposed to guard us, gobble us up?
Through the grapevine, I heard there was a meeting between a developer and some so-called community leaders over a highly sensitized issue. I heard from sources in the meeting that our self-appointed representatives behaved badly, shouting at the developer, making unfounded claims and was unruly. Someone described them as “hooligans”.
Subang Jaya, from SS12 to SS19 has an estimated population of 40,000 residents. If these group of so-called representatives (who only have about 400 members) claim to represent us and we remain silent and appear to condone their behavior with our silence, aren’t we actually allowing the fence to gobble us up?
The above examples are merely just the tip of the iceberg in Subang Jaya. I personally would watch out for those “fences” which have battery operated loud speakers installed on them. They are efficient so long as there’s enough “battery” to run the loud speakers. Once the battery runs out, we are on our own to fend for ourselves or to clean up the mess in the aftermath.
Have a good and productive month ahead. Look out for the many school holiday activities and promotions lined up for you this month. …Enjoy!