EDITORIAL ~ Building a Better Subang Jaya

Wednesday, 6 August 2008

EDITORIAL ~ Building a Better Subang Jaya

Forging partnerships to face the tough times ahead

WHEN we blew out the single candle on SJECHO's birthday cake recently, tears almost rolled out thinking how fortunate we are to be where we are today. To me, we are one of the lucky ones, who are able to look forward to birthday cakes, laughter and celebration every time we hit a notch in our lives, marking our life's achievements.

Life's journey is always tough and long. Without such experiences, it wouldn't give us the chance to reminisce and celebrate, right?

The sparkle in everyone's eyes at the small get-together re-emphasised the importance of having good partnerships to face the challenges ahead. Although many were not able to join us for the celebration, their presence, friendship and partnership flashed through my mind. Without the encouragement and initial motivation from former ADUN Subang Jaya Dato' Lee Hwa Beng, we would not be here.

He was the catalyst behind the whole concept of having a community paper for the community. Dato' Lee was the man who challenged me to start this community paper. Our ability to sustain the paper has been solely from advertising. Many of our advertisers and also individuals who worked with us from Day One are still with us and growing with us together. If I started listing them out, I would have to put a full page advertisement to say Thank You, but that by itself would not be enough. Terima Kasih from the bottom of my heart.

Today, we have forged more partnerships. Our new ADUN Subang Jaya Hannah Yeoh is a major partner with us to build a better community. The police, Subang Jaya Municipal Council and even several mainstream media are forging partnerships with us. In the coming months, we will see a few initiatives taking off the ground.

All our efforts to build a better community would come to nothing, if we fail to look at the human side of life. In recent months, we have discovered there are hardcore poor families in our midst. Children in these families are sleeping on bare cement floors and do not have enough even to have a simple meal.

We have also discovered that many children around us are suffering from illnesses that may take their lives away just at a flick of a finger. Many have come forward to help and that in itself shows the humanity in all of us. The coming charity durian fest at Subang Parade for example is a clear example of how everyone can work together positively to make life worth celebrating for.

Many Subang Jaya community leaders and residents will know what I mean. Take for example the Rukun Tetangga USJ2/6 which answered the call for help and is now caring for a family by providing monthly provisions to them.

Apart from cutting corners to face the hard times ahead, especially with rising fuel costs, crime appears to be one of the most important concerns in our lives. Many fear for their safety even at home now.

A known associate of the Deva Gang who had an array of weapons stashed in his Subang Jaya house was gunned down in Subang Jaya, a woman was found murdered in Subang Ria and even a house owner was slashed in SS18. All these happened last month itself. And mind you, these are just a few which have been reported.

Last week I attended the handing over of two mobile police stations to our men in blue by Sunway Group. Under their Safe City Initiative, the developer takes measures to create a safer environment for its residents by involving the community, corporate sector and also the authorities. Crime rates have dropped since June this year after the mobilisation of Auxiliary Police in Sunway.

Efforts like this should be applauded and emulated. Perhaps it is time for several developers to combine efforts to widen this initiative and make the “bigger” Subang Jaya a safer place for all. Developers like Sime Darby Properties and IOI perhaps could work together with Sunway Group to adopt the Safe City Initiative. After all, all three companies have bordering properties adjacent to one another.

Selangor police chief Dato' Khalid Abu Bakar said public apathy was one of the major causes of rising crime. He reminded everyone that cooperation from the corporate sector, authorities and public was crucial in making sure crime was kept at bay.

I tend to agree with what he has said. For anything to be achieved, we have to have the will to make it work. Alone, we are just a voice in the wilderness. But together, we make a difference, be it in helping others, fighting crime or anything else we do to make this a community our home sweet home.

Happy Merdeka to everyone and to our Muslim brothers and sisters, Selamat Menyambut Bulan Puasa.