Proud of Petaling Jaya - Pua Ghin Chu

Ms Pua, staff of Beautiful Gate Disabled Centre, partner of LA 21 PJ becomes the sole representative from Malaysia to attend the Mobility International USA's 2008 International Women's Institute on Leadership and Disability Exchange Program in Eugene City, Oregon, USA from August 12 to September 2 2008.

Eugune is one of the most accessible cities in the World. The City offers an accessible community infrastructure, which allows people of all disabilities to participate as active community members and to live independently. Hence, the making of Eugene, an inclusive city for all - a theme that shared by us in PJ and a desire to be achieved.

I met Ms Pua last Wednesday and happy with her selection to learn more on the experiences of Eugene City. Hopefully knowledge acquired by her will be shared and help in making a barrier free city of Petaling Jaya. We are also happy to learn that the Mayor, Ms Kitty Piercy is interested to share us the strategies to implement policies that will allow our cities to be inclusive for all. As pioneer in providing disabled friendly infrastructure, this is certainly encouraging.

While MBPJ is making an effort of providing barrier free infrastructure, i am equally disturbed by the news that residents of a high rise residential building objected to the construction of a ramp in front of the entrance leading to the lobby due to "unsightness" and blocking of access. Although Section 34A of the Uniform Building By-Law requests building owners to make access and facilities friendly to users, the tendancy of NOT doing so is rampant.

Hopefully with the appointment of Mr Anthony as councillor of MBPJ, things change faster and better.

National Day Celebration for 2008

It is time again to plan for the annual National Day celebration. A total of 74 activities was organised by PJ stakeholders last year in conjunction with the 50th Anniversary of Malaysia Independent.

Since year 2003, Local Agenda 21 PJ organised various celebration activities with the stakeholders from 17 August to 16 September each year. These include Hibiscus trees planting, parade, National Day Eve Count Down, Flag Raising Ceremony, Family Day, Health Day, sport events, theatre presentation, creative decoration of premises, children art competition etc. The participation of residents groups and communities were tremendous.

For year 2008, the theme is Unity For Success. It calls upon the cooperation and collaboration between different ethnic, culture, religious and age groups to strive for excellence. I believe this is timely now for us, the government, political parties, private sector and civil society to forget our differences and political preferences amid the challenges of globalisation, fuel hike and economic scenario.

We have only Malaysia to look upon, nowhere else.

So, the planned activities by various groups will be advised to meet the above objective, and of course the sustainable development principles and Local Agenda 21. In observing the requirement of sustainability, it is an important step of saving, a prerequisite for us now to be thrifty.

I always believe that Being Green Can be Profitable. So, let's celebrate our National Day with Green in mind.

Leadership In Practice (7)

Mr Azman, Deputy Chairman for Section 6, Kota Damansara Residents Association is the leader in making. His leadership abilities is excellent until the chairman, Mr Alphazul conveniently leave the entire Q & A session with judges for Mr Azman to handle.

Mr Azman is the man to be seen with MBPJ nowadays. He is attending most of the functions organised by MBPJ on behalf of the Association. According to Mr Alphazul, this is the policy to find succession and to groom younger group to take over the helm of the Association. I personally think it is an important aspect for sustaining an association. Most of the time, community groups cannot sustain themselves because of the sudden demise of leaders or at time they loss their interest. In order to prevent such happenings, it is always good to have trained the second liners to take over eventually.

I think Section 6, Kota Damansara Residents Association will continue with their excellence community services track record with Mr Azman next in line.

Leadership In Practice (6)

A humble leader whom always said he has done very little. In fact, he has organised so many activities that the performance of RT Kampung Chempaka by any standard is tremendous in PJ. Mr Lee Chong Meng, the Chairman of RT Kampung Chempaka was praised by judges during a visit last Sunday for his hardwork, wide coverage of activities catering to the need of various stakeholders, friendliness and pragmatic approach.

The recycling for charity activity, herbs planting, karaoke session, free acupuncture, sport, musical class, cooking session, visitation to charity homes, chanting for the sicks, donation to the needy, functions for the elderly, self help cleaning, security patrolling, get together sessions are conducted daily or the longest is once a week. The frequency of activities is numerous and simply tiring to my standard but people are enjoyed doing so. Some activities have been carried out with single objective but turned out in fulfilling other objectives as well.

Perhaps the village spirit which encourages greater interaction and simple life of villagers motivated the Association and its members. In an urban setting like PJ, this is definitely a missing feeling and urgently needed for livability.

Mr Lee, a man with few words and action-oriented is walking the talk.

Leadership In Practice (5)

Mr TH Ong, Chairman of the Taman Megah Residents Association is a "fine" man aspires for perfection in his works and activities. This was apparently so during the PJ Best Neighbourhood judges' visit to the neighbourhood on 27/7/2008. I was inspired by his presentation which has outlined the past, present and future direction of the neighbourhood systematically and in details. I must said it is professionally done.

The beauty of community leadership in PJ is the presence of many talented people with multi-tasking skills and knowledge. The direction and preference of an association is very much depended on the particular leader. If we have a pro environment leader, then the tendency is a lot of environmental related activities will be carried out.

For Taman Megah, communication via newsletter is fantastic. The publication is of professional standard and worth for reading and keeping. Perhaps this is very much closer to the heart of Mr Ong.

Livable Cities (3)

A Citizen's Documentation was drafted and endorsed by the participants for the National Workshop on Livable Cities, 21-22 July 2008 at Sivic Hall, MBPJ. A total of 231 participants brainstormed the ways forward for PJ in achieving livable city after listening to the Chief Minister of Selangor and speakers from Australia and Singpaore as well as criteria as provided by the London-based Economic Intelligent Unit. Concurrently, a community exhibition showcased the good initiatives of Local Agenda 21 PJ's partners was held. The Exhibition was successful in raising public awareness.

The Workshop witnessed the gathering of politician, professional, academician, residents, business sector, students, government officers, teachers, disabled people and NGOs in drawing out an action plan for implementation. Participants are concerned about urban challenges, governance system, mechanism and structure of implementation. These include integrated development planning, capacity building for stakeholders, effective service delivery, integrity of all involved in administration and management etc. MBPJ and MIP promise to finalise and make public the Plan with actions within 3 months for further discourse.

I saw larger attendance and active participation of stakeholders since the last time we have the Local Agenda 21 Workshop on 1 & 2 February 2000. This is encouraging and promises many more good things to come since the new administration has touched on the need for greater accountability, transparency, trustworthiness, competencies and participation.

The way forward now is how to get everyone on board and to share the same vision and pace for a livable city of PJ.

The answer is Let's Do It.

Livable Cities (2)

Everybody is gearing up for the hosting of Livable Cities National Workshop, an inaugural event jointly organised by MBPJ and MIP and supported by AAPH. The workshop is aimed at identifying appropriate model for implementation in Malaysia and to formulate a workable plan of actions for Malaysia and in particular PJ.

Apart from the organising committee, everyone in the Planning Department is looking forward participating in this event of such scale. We have eminent speakers from Australia and Singapore as well as participants from Brunei and Thailand apart from other part of Malaysia. The participation of many representatives from different background should provide multi-disciplined inputs and factual information for drafting a realistic plan for action. It is not a talk show but Do-Able Forum, i presume.

I salute the involvement of Mdm Sharipah Marhaini for her commitment and other staffs' dedication for making this happen. Without full involvement of ths staff of Planning Department, i could not see much to be achieved. Having said this, the middle management and staffs from Public Relation Section, Logistic Unit, Mechanical, Landscape and Personnel are also provided their valuable and tireless inputs.

Thank you Ladies and Gentlemen. I am eagerly to see a good forum tomorrow.

Leadership In Practice (4)

Delegation, participation, transition, empowerment and other terminologies on making leadership in succession a succes are there to be found in Taman Mayang Jaya, SS26. The exploration visit to this neighbourhood area by the judges on last Sunday exemplify the above criteria. Mr Liew Wai Beng, after 6 years of leading the Residents Association managed to recruit and to entrust so many volunteers to participate and to take lead on various community programmes. It is very impressive to notice the confidence, commitment, dedication and support of the Committee Members. One of them is Mr Sunny Yap, who has developed the Recycling Programme in SS26. From a mere 2 members team developed into 10 members team with numbers of volunteers in itself is a success.

It is always a difficult task to recruit new comers and more critically to sustain their interest of continuing with the tasks. Many organisations dissolved after going through glory time due to the sudden loss of interest from the members. Members are difficult to keep together if they cannot visualise a promising future for the organisation or if they have no urgency to stay put or they have loss the common goals. We need to recruit new bloods and to venture into different focuses to attract participation of people with different interest. Until then, the likely tendency is the death of organisation with the loss of interest of the leader. This is obviously so rampant with the community based organisations.

Mr Liew Wai beng, the newly elected Chairman of APAC (All PJ Action Committee) is always vocal in his opinions and calculative when it comes to the spending figures and budget. His offensive style might have frightened some quarters but things were done soonest or later. Perhaps sometime his style can serve as a wake up call for those who are at sleep in the comfort zone.

Leadership In Practice (3)

The PJ Best Neighbourhood Contest judges visited Taman Indah Jaya, PJS 4 last Sunday and indeed was impressed with the vast improvement the Committee Members of RT Taman Indah Jaya, PJS 4 have done over the past one year. They moved to their own building rather than squattering in others' building. They have started the Green Earth (Bumi Hijau) project to plant edible vegetables on the idle land. They are organised many sports and recreational activities for youth and community. All these activities will not be possible without the commitment and leadership of the chairman, Mr Osman Jamil.

Mr Osman, a survivor of many sickness and even the loss of his loved one last year does not stop him to continue his service. He is a familiar face in most occasions day and night. He is hand on in many activities. I presume the leadership with dedication has spurred the growth of this neighbourhood and the RT. When we have a leader on the move and practice management by walking about, half the battle of solving community woes are gone, i believe.

So, take a walk in your neighbourhood area whenever you feel free. You will be duly recognised.

Livable Cities

For the first time, a workshop to discuss the definition and concept of livable cities as well as its applicability to Malaysia will be held on 21 and 22 July 2008 at PJ. The National Workshop jointly organised by MBPJ and MIP and supported by AAPH is aimed at introducing the concept of livable cities, identifying the criteria for Malaysia and formulating a plan of actions for implementation in PJ.

In the era of globalisation, every city is competing to create a conducive environment for living, working, investment and visiting as city survival and growth is very much depend on the inflow of capital and people. With higher desire and aspiration, double with the high trans boundary mobility, people have better choice of places for living and investment, or even to call them home. Hence, a city without much to offer might be marginalised and forgotten.

Petaling Jaya developed as a new township to provide shelters for people from KL and other part of Malaysia since 50 years ago cannot escape from this challenge. PJ has to compete with other cities domestically or globally for quality people and capital investment. To do that, MBPJ has to develop and manage the city conforming to the international standard, Livable Cities as advocated by EIU, London. PJ has to be at par with Melbourne, Vancouver, Singapore, Zurich or else the word Jaya (means success) will no longer valid in time to come.

The Workshop with the gathering of representatives from different stakeholder groups will let ideas to flourish and to reinforce suggestions for implementation. This is Local Agenda 21 in practice. A practice that has been done since year 2000 and perhaps the workshop will now renew that spirit again.

Leadership In Practice (2)

The Panel of Judges for the PJ Best Neighbourhood Competition visited the RT Section 4A last Sunday to evaluate the community's sustainable initiatives. The Committee organised a neighbourhood health day with talks and medical checkups for the residents. About 150 people turned up for the half a day event. This is my first community event witnessed the presence of more than 6 medical personnel or doctors in attendance. The doctors were on hand to conduct blood test and others.

I am impressed because Dr Muttu, the Chairman for RT Section 4A has utilised his professional expertise and knowledge as well as the networking to recruit the service of doctors for the benefit of community. It is a showcase of effective leadership in practice. Many community leaders in PJ pose many talents and quality. Some are retired senior government servant, professional, entrepreneurs, industry chieftain and academician. If the experiences, skills, resources and knowledge of these leaders can be utilised fully for the socio-economic development in PJ, I presume sustainability is a non-issue.

Encouraged by the public turnout and participation of the doctors, Mr Muttu has further suggested that similar schedule exercise be conducted elsewhere and he is willing to help. He also proposed that turning the MBPJ Clinic at Section 8 into a community clinic to provide general medical service to the poor and needy after office hour for free or with nominal fee.

It is fantastic to hear him out.

LRT and Cars

Since the fuel hike, I decided to take LRT to commute from house to my work place. The journey is made possible as the LRT Station is only two doors away from my house in SS25 and a less than 10 minutes walk from Taman Jaya Station to MBPJ. It is a pleasant walk.

I noticed that many commuters are taking LRT rather than driving. The trains are always pack and the stations' car parks are always full. While an efficient public transportation system will improve the ridership and reduce the cars on the road, the pinch of paying extra is hurting and changing the way of life. It was reported that traffic volume is lesser nowadays.

Having said this, it is difficult to explain why should many cars park at the station instead of in the house? It is a wastage of resources as many of the cars are parked there from 9 to 5 daily. If a good and efficient shuttle bus service or pleasant walking paths are put in place, then I presume many people will prefer to have the LRT instead of owning an underused private vehicle.

The question is can the Government and city planners help to fix this missing link in commuting?

Councillors

New Councillors of MBPJ sworn in 4 months after the 12th General Election. For the first time in history of MBPJ, 7 councillors representing the NGO and professionals are given a seat in the Council. Many of them come with excellent credential in their respective field. The most significant one is Mr Anthony Thanasayan, a disabled friend who has advocated for universal design and independent living for PWD. His presence, I presume will expedite the implementation of Barrier Free City of Petaling Jaya Programme and encourage accessibility and connectivity.

It is home coming for Mr K.W Mak, a former reporter who used to cover news on MBPJ. With his experiences and know how on the local governance and community issues, I presume that principles of good governance and transparency will take the centre stage.

Mr Derek Fernandez, a counsel to many community based organisations and residents fighting for their right on good urban development and planning is another appointee. His involvement with communities, I presume the aspiration of people for a greener and equitable PJ society is attainable.

I presume discourse on policies and future direction of PJ will be flourished from now on.

Beverage Cartons Recycling Contest

Another milestone for LA 21 PJ. After the successful launch of eyeglasses and computer recycling campaign, MBPJ together with TetraPak and KPT Packaging launched the Beverage Cartons Recycling Contest for all NGO and CBO in PJ. The 6 months Contest divided to 2 rounds and 2 categories offers total prize money of RM 34,000. The aim is to introduce new recyclable item to community groups and to partner new players in 3R programme. More than often people have no idea that everything is recyclable except to follow what are the items that collected by the vendors or community recycling centres. By partnering new players and introducing different recyclable items, MBPJ hopes that we are able to achieve zero waste through reduction and reuse, if not then recycling.

The target for the Contest is 10 tonnes. It is only achievable with more participating organisations or more awareness for cartons recycling or creativity of the participating organisations for collection. Participating organisations should partner with the shops, private sector, institutions or other stakeholders to encourage collection and recycling. They must be proactive and outreach to the prospects. Perhaps by partnering new players, we are able to identify new way of recycling or to explore other environmental programmes. This is a window of opportunities.

If you are interested to participate or drop the beverage cartons to recycling centre nearest to your house or office, please contact me at lee@mbpj.gov.my.