THE Selayang Municipal Council (SMC) recently sent a letter dated April 1, 2024, regarding the increase in assessment rates for the following year.
However, the Department of Valuation and Building Services did not dispatch the notice until May 10, the final day for residents to lodge protests.
Strangely, despite some residents receiving the email, on May 11 (a Saturday), a postman was tasked with delivering notices to every household. Is this arrangement with Pos Malaysia special, and if so, who is covering the costs of this last-minute delivery?
Although the deadline has been extended until the end of the month, many individuals are encountering challenges in submitting their protests against the increased assessment rates. This situation may resonate with the experiences of residents in other councils.
The feedback forms are crafted in a way that complicates residents’ responses, despite the council merely needing to ascertain whether everyone agrees or disagrees with the rate hikes.
With a quantum increase of over 50%, this is simply unreasonable. While SMC may argue that the rate has remained unchanged for many years, the current circumstances are not conducive to raising assessment rates.
Throughout the Covid-19 pandemic, we continued to pay the same rate despite minimal work being carried out.
Furthermore, SMC’s performance has been lacking over the years. I have resided in an area under its jurisdiction since 1997, during the tenure of its first president, Kasjoo Kadis.
Until today, SMC has shown little improvement. Despite Selangor being under Pakatan Harapan since 2008, there has been minimal or no reform in the operations of local governments.
Under DAP’s two-state exco, Ng Sze Han, and its current exco, Ng Suee Lim, SMC and numerous other councils have yet to undergo any significant overhaul.
Despite having a minister in charge of Housing and Local Government, Nga Kor Meng, little to no mention has been made about reforming the Local Government Act.
Unless Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim takes decisive action, politicians are unlikely to implement unpopular measures, even if they are what the people desire.
We want to see improvement in the delivery of services by the third tier of government. If not, their directors should face a 20% salary reduction, similar to the ministers’ salary cuts. This is particularly crucial during these challenging times.
Imagine campaigning for several years just to get the council to address steep humps that damage cars with lower decks, only to find that several other issues remain unresolved. Politicians claim these steep humps are at the request of residents, showing disregard for the damage they cause to vehicles.
If Penang can effectively clean up its illegal dumps and Kuching can rank as the 15th cleanest city in the world, why does Selangor remain one of the dirtiest states in the country?
Should we replace the individuals in leadership positions or consider changing the governing party in the upcoming general election?
