REFORM SELANGOR FIRST: Reforms are a shared responsibility

   
Somehow Hannah appears to be
well-liked by the athletes
representing Malaysia in the SEA Games


With an improved tally of 57 gold, 57 silver, and 117 bronze medals—bringing the overall count to 231 at the SEA Games in Thailand—the Madani government can point to tangible results from its reforms.

This marks a drastic improvement from its 2023 performance in Cambodia, where Malaysia secured only 34 gold, 45 silver, and 97 bronze medals.

Whatever strategies Minister Hannah Yeoh employed remain unclear, but the DAP minister has undeniably delivered what many regard as a remarkable achievement for Malaysia.

It could be her youthfulness, or her charming look, typical of someone whom you can trust, but whatever her strengths are, they should be complimented for whenever someone is succesful, we should rejoice with them, instead of trying to backstab them. Ultimately, it is iron that sharpens iron, which guarantees PH becoming a formidable front in the years to come. 

Reforms, a Shared Responsibility

Reforms cannot be yoked to one man alone — not even Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim. A workhorse, however strong, cannot be flogged forever.

DAP must realise that although the battleground for the 16th General Election (GE16) is largely between Dr. Mahathir Mohamed and his proxies and Anwar and the Madani government, to abandon the Madani government when the times are tough, raises concerns about the DAP’s own sincerity in the coalition. 

You either stick together in good times and tough times; otherwise, a marriage of convenience will most likely to fail again. You will only be seen riding on the tides when PH was at its peak, abandon it when it is at the lowest ebbs. I am sure this was not what the DAP leaders had in mind, but it certainly created such a perception. 

Being a supporter of DAP's Tan Seng Giaw since 1987, I saw how the DAP abandoned Pakatan Rakyat (PR) in June 2015 over its disagreement with PAS on the hudud laws, only to rejoin a new coalition three months later (Sept 2015) with Anwar’s PKR and PAS splinter group Amanah to form what is now Pakatan Harapan. 

The DAP must realise that on its own, it will not be able to form a new government whether at state or federal level. It was only able to win nine parliamentary seats in 1999, and 10 seats in 2004. A strong reminder to thr DAP: In 2004, both DAP stalwarts Karpal Singh and Lim Kit Siang lost their seats. 

The miracle only happened in 2008, when PH won all five states. Even though Amanah was only a small party, both PKR and DAP managed to appeal to the imagination of most voters who were deluded by the promises and poor performance of Barisan Nasional. 

Later in 2018, Malaysia was engulfed in a scandal of unprecedented scale, with billions of ringgit at stake and Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak and his administration directly implicated. 

Without the cooperation with Anwar's PKR and Amanah, DAP could not have been able to make it, what's more when we start to ask, "What reforms do we see in Selangor?" Maybe only during its first term, when down-to-earth state excos like Teresa Kok and Elizabeth Wong visited the late managing director of Panasonic Malaysia when I told them that the Petaling Jaya City Council was delaying the approval of their Econation show house. 

What a big contrast when DAP disciplinary master Ngeh Koo Ham arranged for both Michele Ng and Ng Sze Han to meet me over some issues in my area. Although Ngeh wanted to come down himself all the way from Ipoh (I told him not necessary), Ng Sze Han refused to turn up although he was the state exco directly in charge of the local government.

I would that newbies like Sze Han would be more hands-on than becoming like a former state exco like Tang See Hang who was oblivious to complaints.

Where are the Reforms in Selangor since 2008?

If Pakatan Harapan (PH) is serious about winning the state of Selangor, all its component parties have to take a closer look at the existing state government, where complaints have largely gone unheard. 

Its leaders at federal level cannot remain oblivious to what is happening in Selangor, an important state, contributing to its own survival or collapse. 

Here are just some examples of concern, where Selangorians are irked by the state government, and these have to be mentioned now before it is too late: 

• Cleanliness in Selangor. The Sultan of Selangor has seen how dirty many parts of the state have become. This is despite several years of highlighting the state of Selangor in this blog. Each time, the KDEB is made the scapegoat, never the local councils which have the full responsibilty over the cleanliness in their own areas. 
  
  
• Little Napoleons. Most of the posts in this blog are mainly focused on one local council: Majlis Perbandaran Selayang (MPS), which I have been monitoring since mid-1990s. It sets an example why the reforms of local government in Selangor is dead.
  
  Compared to the present mayor of Petaling Jaya City Council (MBPJ), who is often quoted saying, "Akan disantuni" (this will be addressed) whenever he learns of a pothole or illegal dump, the Council President of MPS is just the opposite. Also read this. Each time the Menteri Besar or the state executive councillor responsible for local government is approached, the response is nothing more than deafening silence. This has led to problems as simple as two road humps dragging on for several years. And despite promises made by Gobind Singh Deo, the MP of Damansara, nothing was done until two years later. This problem may be 'local' but the problems caused by the Little Napoleons elsewhere in the state and the country has even irked the Raja of Perlis. 

• Uncle Patrick Khoo's case. The man who was caught on video struggling with a staff of MBPJ over two dogs should never have been brought to court at all, if then State Exco in charge of local government Ng Sze Han had been more proactive to intervene. This case is causing many netizens feeling anxious about the senior citizen's welfare, especially when his only offence was to stop the MBPJ staff from dragging the dogs using a loop. 
  
  
• Ban of pets in shopping malls in Selangor. Apparently, the current State Exco, Ng Suee Lim does not understand that the younger generation has adopted a love for the pets, compared to his or my generation. To make such an announcement upfront would draw flax from the rakyat of Selangor, not only the pet owners but every fence sitter. This is typical of some leaders in BN in the past - Tang See Hang and Chan Kong Choy, to name a few. Is the DAP prepared to slide into obsolescence like the MCA, whose youth still cannot get their act together?
  
  
• Increased in Assessment Rates in Selangor. When Azmin Ali was Menteri Besar, the assessment rates at Rawang Integrated Industrial Park were raised significantly. When Amirudin Shaari took over, the industry owners approached Amirudin only to be told that he would not reduce the rates. 
  
  This sore point was raised recently when local councils in Selangor also raised our assessment fees by 25 percent. Or at least a hundred ringgit. 
  
  Meanwhile, I was told that streetlights at the Rawang Integrated Industrial Park, where the assessments were raised substantially, had been down for a long time. And, dumpsters are known to dispose their solid waste indiscriminately at the industrial estate, turning it into an eyesore, with KDEB trying to clean up after them. Where is the enforcement by the Selayang Municipal Council? If you look at all the posts about illegal dumps in this blog, you will also notice that MPS has failed miserably as a local council in Selangor, yet their failure can be tolerated by the state exco is something that I can never understand. It took the Sultan’s rebuke before the state exco responded — and even that, with a short-term plan, and his long term plan was to install “another” waste-to-energy incinerators, despite public protests.
   
  
  
  
  
  
  
• RM180 million to be charged on Indah Water Konsortium (IWK)? I hope this is only a rumour, but I think the source may be credible enough. There are negotiations between the state government and the IWK where a figure as high as RM180 million was initially supposed to be charged on

If divided by 1.5 million account holders, this is equivalent to an additional of RM120 on top of RM180 for every household a year effective January. For IWK which did not have to pay anything for its effluent discharge into the river, now it was told to pay RM180 was of course, too steep. 

For now, the State government may have stalled the imposition of such a huge amount, but discussions will be continued in January with regards to the quantum of the discharge tariffs. The question everyone should be asking is: why is Selangor charging such a fee, when the main culprits that it should tackle are the dumpsters? 

I was told that during the Covid-19 pandemic, the rivers were clean, even though the effluents coming out from IWK were still entering into the river. As a chemist myself, having also dealt with waste treatment at an emulsion polymer plant, I can fully understand how industries are struggling with the treatment of its effluents due to lack of good yet affordable treatment technology back in the 1990s, but for IWK, the tariffs will ultimately be passed on to Selangorians. 

  

We shall wait till January or maybe the following months to see if there is another raise in IWK charges from its new tariffs of RM15 effective January 1, 2026, to a new rate involving the amounts they would have to pay to Selangor State Government. The state should not be focused on accumulation of more wealth but a wiser usage of funds that could help strengthen the country's economy. Any raise in tariffs would defeat the Madani government's intentions to control the cost of living. 

• Incinerators now Waste-to-Energy (W.T.E).  In his response to the Sultan's murka over the cleanliness issue in Selangor, state exco Ng Suee Lim said that the long-term plan is to introduce more waste-to-energy (WTE) plants. A third WTE is in the pipeline, after two other projects costing millions were pushed through. 
  
  What surprises most of us is that the state has ventured into incineration, instead of a massive push for recycling, which we are now see countries in the West and Japan now reverting to. The money could have been invested in solar energy generators for all homes in Selangor to provide free electricity.
  
  
• Recycling is underway—but is it merely a facade? While I am happy that the Selangor state government is pushing for recycling, I will put my fingers crossed to see whether there is true political will to make it work. Till today, the use of plastic wrappings are on the rise, but there is no control of such usage. Selangor imposed 20 sen on each plastic bag from the grocery shop, but what is it doing about the proliferation of plastic wrappings, bags and polystyrene foam used in courier services? Polystyrene boxes from the wet markets are dumped all over the places. Does the state government have any control over the production, or track its usage to see if it is finally disposed properly?

 
PH at the federal level must realise that there are a lot more of such issues that have far-reaching impact beyond just the pockets of protestors. People are watching to see how PH handles their daily issues. 

For example, while Anwar and the Madani government are working to control the cost of living, are they at the same time allowing the state government free rein to impose tariffs unseen since Merdeka?

They have already increased assessment rates in Selangor’s local councils, despite the poor performance of many. After observing the Selayang Municipal Council (MPS) for nearly three decades, I must conclude that a comprehensive overhaul is essential to elevate its service delivery—starting with the leadership of its council president.

My good relationship with MPBJ Mayor, for example, proves that I am willing to be of service as someone providing feedback on the ground to improve the road condition or cleanliness of Petaling Jaya. If the mayor, Datuk Zahri Samingon can do such a good job, why should I waste so much time on a council president who refuses to solve a simple problem such as two humps? Instead, we now have another issue with the one-way streets which Gobind was also supposed to solve when first highlighted to him two years ago.   

Yes, DAP should focus on Reforms

If the DAP pulls out of PH in the GE16, it is unlikely to perform that well. History has proven itself that operating as a silo party, DAP has no capacity to even form any government.

For that reason, they have to realise that they were riding high on Anwar’s popularity. For me, in the last general election, although I did not want to vote Gobind, it was still a vote for Anwar. In the coming GE16, this may no longer happen for me and my relatives. 

DAP must realise that Dr Mahathir and his family have a big stake involving billions of ringgit in assets which may be seized by the Malaysia Anti-corruption Commission (MACC). 

It may take a year, two or even three years before the MACC successfully seize the assets that were never declared. If everything reverts to square one due to DAP's inability to stick to the coaliton, voters' hopes for change will be quashed and their trust in the DAP will also vanish. 

For this reason, I end by saying that the entire cabinet, especially the DAP share a responsibility to boost people’s confidence in the federal and state government. 

The voices from Sabah is not only about the UEC recognition; it is also about the allowance cuts for the medical fraternity as we have read in today’s news. 

Instead of looking at it as an Amanah issue because its minister is from Amanah, there should be efforts to brainstorm across the board on how to tackle this issue brought up by the medical fraternity. 

PH along with their colleagues from the unity government should also listen to the suggestions made by the Malaysia Medical Association (MMA).