ADUN SPEAKS « SJ Echo

Thursday, 4 December 2008

ADUN SPEAKS

With great power comes great responsibility

While March 8 has given Malaysians a taste of people's power, it has also brought along another problem. Some people now feel they can say just about anything without taking responsibility for their statements and we see people giving a "piece of their mind" whenever the opportunity arises.

Lately I have been receiving sms from unknown numbers relating to some issues in Subang Jaya. May I just remind residents to be cautious of the things you read and the things you forward to others? March 8 has given Malaysians a lot of courage to speak up but this must be accompanied by wisdom, truth, accuracy, courtesy and graciousness. We sometimes blame the media for spreading half truth, lies or inaccurate news but what about ourselves?

Always make efforts to verify the accuracy of your materials before forwarding them to others. With great power comes great responsibility. Malaysians must learn to handle their new found "freedom" with care. Test everything. Filter your own thoughts and ask yourselves questions. I do that and if I don't have the answer, I would not unreasonably expect others to have it. It takes the entire team of Malaysians to change Malaysia for good. Let's work on this together.

Spot checks

I have conducted a series of spot checks on public facilities and the maintenance works involved, the results of which were far from satisfactory. I will continue to carry out spot checks at random places in my constituency to ensure that the local council and its contractors are diligent in performing their tasks.

One thing I ask of the residents is to be our eyes and ears and to ensure public facilities are not vandalised. Very often in Malaysia, first class infrastructure will quickly be reduced to nothing when our residents practice the “tidak apa” attitude. We need more pro-active residents to help keep an eye on such facilities as the constant maintenance work will be a burden to the taxpayers. We need to take serious ownership of our community.

‘Composting within the Community’ Pilot Project

When my office first brainstormed for a composting project, we decided that such a project would never see the light of day if we didn’t have the co-operation and dedication of the residents. Over a casual chat, we issued the challenge to the residents of SS14/7 and they took it up. Very quickly, more residents participated and the parents led by example – they gave monetary and moral support to their children to ensure that the project would be a success. On the day of the launch, both parents and children came out in their project t-shirts, all ready to participate in composting their greens. Corporate sponsor, Starbucks is also committed to supply their grounded coffee beans from their outlets in Subang Jaya and USJ. This is truly an epitome of a community project in which you see the young and the old, the residents, the local council and the corporate sponsor involved. In my speech to this group of composting pioneers, I encouraged them not to underestimate their effort, every little step counts in making our earth greener and I pray that this fine example will chart a trail for other resident groups to follow.

Celebrate

Being part of all the Hari Raya celebrations in my constituency is really quite an experience. From the laksa to the curry, every dish makes me crave for more. A big thank you to all who attended our Hari Raya Open House!

Subang Jaya residents of different races came out to celebrate together and Deepavali is another reason for us to celebrate! I celebrate the different cultures and races we have in Subang Jaya. We must never forget what makes us Malaysians special – our ability to co-exist and flourish together. Here’s wishing all our Hindu friends a “Happy Deepavali!”.