EDITORIAL- TAKING THE BULL BY THE HORNS

Pressing issues to be tackled in the Year of the Ox

FAMILY reunions, the crackling sounds of fireworks and the stack of ang-pows have been given out. Many of us have come home from our retreat to our hometowns for the Chinese New Year and now it’s back to work.
The children will have slightly bigger bank accounts after the festival while the adult’s wallets are a little lighter. That’s what we see annually just right after the Chinese New Year.
But this year, it’s going to be a little different. With numerous predictions of an economic slowdown just around the corner (if we have not already made that corner), many are tightening their purse strings.
I spent my Chinese New Year in Penang with the family enjoying mum’s home-cooked reunion dinner. Over the meal we learnt that several of our relatives now have to get up at 4am to catch the factory bus which will ferry them to Kulim. Why? The factory they were working in has shut down two of their plants on the island.
The husband and wife asked me what I would do if I was in their shoes. My reply to them? Stay with the job. At least you still have a job.
Coming back to Subang Jaya, with such an economic outlook not only nationally but globally, there is a high chance that many of the “nice to have” things residents have asked for will have to wait while priority is given to the “must do” like keeping our roads in good condition or our drains clean.
Basic infrastructure will have to be maintained by the local authority. That is to be expected but other not so urgent projects will have to wait it out till times are better.
But the most important factor that’s probably on everyone’s mind these days is about rising crime and how to tackle them. These days, even sitting at my favourite coffee shop at night gives me an uneasy feeling whenever a vehicle, especially a motorcycle passes by. I would look at them approaching with suspicious eyes, wondering if they were perpetrators who had come for a coffee break before or after entering a home uninvited.
I am sure many anticipate crime would sky-rocket and now place the onus on the authorities to keep it down. While we acknowledge that the police are short-handed, we also should not stop urging the powers that be to beef up the police force in numbers and strength. Our representatives in Parliament should be pushing harder for this and making sure that they bring us the results we want.
On the ground, the local authority should put a substantial amount of their limited funds to good use. Providing more lighting in residential areas would be a good start. Darkness attracts negative elements and we obviously know that the brighter the place is, the better it will be to keep such people away. Residents themselves should start the habit of switching their porch and backyard lights on at night. What’s spending RM5 a month for these lights compared to the losses incurred when a break-in occurs?
The Year of the Ox also brings an opportune time for the bull-headed amongst us to sober out and look at issues we have been fighting for from a different perspective. It’s not all doom and gloom. Even in America, for the first time in history, a black American (Barak Obama) has become President. Anything is possible. So, isn’t it possible for certain issues we have been fighting for to have a different twist or interpretation?
Hard times for us could possibly bring harder times for the less fortunate and the poor. While we make ends meet, we should not forget this group of people. They need our help even more now and we should do all we can to help.
Let us all hope for a better year and put our efforts to making it happen. While we work hard to put food on the table, don’t neglect the family and your loved ones. Spend time with them as you have always done so. If you have more time, dedicate it to spending it with them.
Enjoy the remaining days of the Chinese New Year and Happy Valentines to all of you.