Kuala Lumpur; Aspirations and Expectations

Let me get straight to the POINT! I want to voice my PIECE. I believe many folks in Kuala Lumpur have aspirations and expectations for this great city. We want her to PROSPER and at the very least, “PRESENTABLE” to the world! We must all POOL our ideas and our resources together in order to attain them! Kuala Lumpur, a spellbinding city, is the PRIDE of all city dwellers here! Who better to lead us if not the Minister of the Federal Territories, Raja Datuk Nong Chik Raja Zainal Abidin, who, during his younger days attended the Methodist Boys’ School and later continued his studies at the Victoria Institution and much later went on to study at the Royal Military College.

A corporate man with a “head for figures” and recently displayed great POLITICAL acumen. He is a very PERSONABLE middle age man who was PLUCKED from obscurity to become the Minister of the Federal Territories. Together with his PLEDGE, POSITION and POWER, I’m sure this city would be place on a much higher PEDASTAL that we can all be PROUD of! He is the man! He is the statesman PAR excellence!

Talking about man, let’s focus on the man in the street. Ordinary people like you and me. What are our goals in life? What do we hope to achieve? Before we PROGRESS any further, let’s look at the PROBLEMS we are facing at the moment.

The PROFLIGATE spending of tax payer’s money is not uncommon in the local councils or in any council for that matter! Unnecessary spending is not right! POSITIVE and PUNITIVE actions must be taken, swift and fast! No one in his right mind would want to be their PATRON saint. We must PULLED the plug on those involved. We must catch them with their PANTS down! To those with guilt written all over their faces, redeployment is the first option! Demotion, next!

At a staggering RM2.1bil, the 2010 budget for this city PACKS quite a PUNCH! The distributions must be fair and the allocations, used wisely! There are bound to be many PEJORATIVE remarks and comments from many people. All these must be taken in good stride. It should be remembered that the money belonged to the rakyat! Your sincerity in carrying out the responsibilities entrusted to you must be self-evident. PERTINENT comments and POINTS should not be “swept under the carpet”. They are to be tabled for discussion. We have the right to know! We insist!

I’m glad City Hall is going on an austerity drive. Many contractors who are service PROVIDERS would not be too happy about that! Many made their PILES even without “lifting their fingers.” For those PARVENU leeches, I say this: “Enough is enough! You had that coming! You’re grounded and PENALISED!” A large section of the POPULACE would only be too happy to see you “without any work”!



It was a good start City Hall had come up with a PROPOSAL. They want to do the landscaping in the city themselves. That would save a lot of tax payer’s money. A smart and PRACTICAL move. Optimum PLANNING goes a long way! City Hall can ask the advice of the experts in landscaping from the Limkokwing team. They’re the best in Landscape Design.

A few million ringgit to supply and plant bushes and shrubs in the city? You must be out of your mind! I’m absolutely PETRIFIED! Who wouldn’t? Must we listen to more PLATITUDES or your excuses about the dangers of over-spending? Give me the contract and I’ll give you orchids!

The PARKS are up for adoption! Crudely put it: “They are to be PRIVATISED!” Would there be tolls down the road? I’m not too sure how the adoption would work. Are some corporations really doing all these for the common folks or for their own interests? Someone even said this adoption was a great idea and senior citizens from his community would “be given gardening shears” to keep them occupied! I’m not PELTING at anyone in PARTICULAR. That’s not my style! The parks are not PRIVATELY owned. They belonged to the city… and honestly, would anyone want to maintain them for free? Quick, give me my shears now before I change my mind!

Let’s see what are the PLANS for the city dwellers who need a roof over their heads. It is heartening to know that the Federal Territories and Urban Wellbeing Minister has the interest of the city dwellers at heart. Some abandoned housing PROJECTS were revived in the city. It augers well for those who were “left in the cold” by some unscrupulous developers who “left without a trace.” Were they blacklisted? Maybe only the PUNY ones. The “big boys” remained unscratched! Why? A PECUNIARY gain for someone? I hope the Minister would look into this.

Public Housing Project (PPR) units in Kuala Lumpur are up for sale. But sadly, many flat dwellers simply cannot afford to own one. Financial constraints PRECLUDE them from owning one. Some survived on a shoestring budget. And others, their standards of living remain PITIFULLY low. They are feeling the PINCH! A solution must be worked out for them to own the units. The needs of the flat dwellers must take PRECEDENCE over individual requirements!

But some flat dwellers are indifferent! When they don’t have them, they want them! When they have them, they don’t look after them! It’s shocking to see some flats in this city in a sorry state. Is this an attitude PREVALENT among these PITEOUS flat dwellers? Is that the kind of environment they want to live in? How could anyone live with the unbearable stench and filth? Are they comfortable living “with the rats?” I’m sure the surrounding air is POLLUTED too! Whom do we blame then? The flat dwellers or the local council?

And to the who’s who in society, the filthy rich and the affluent, housing would be the last thing on their minds! From the morning wake up calls to “bedtime stories” they PROBABLY have Man Friday in attendance. Their only worry….missing the tee off with Tiger Woods!

Kuala Lumpur’s massive clean-up is scheduled for next year. We need the PROFOUND cooperation from everyone. I hope this is for real, not a mere PEP talk by the Minister. The saddest thing is: most city dwellers are not too zestful to get themselves involved. This campaign might only receive lukewarm response! Most of us are very well aware that we are not “so disciplined” and not “so obedient” like our neighbour from the south! They are so disciplined, so obedient and “so Singapore”. But can we blame them? With so many CCTVs all around their islands, can they afford not to? Even their dogs are afraid to PIDDLE anywhere they feel like it!

Maybe some people would be PIQUED by my POINTED and rude remarks. I know I’m in no position to say or judge people with my PERSPICACIOUS remarks. This is only my self-opinionated assessment. No offence meant to anyone, more so to our southern neighbour. Matter of fact, we love Singaporeans. If you do not believe me, ask the Johoreans. By the way, are there any of you in the city? Please raise your hands. Thank you. I’ll start the count.

Let’s focus on the more important issue in the city. There are still many squatters around. They are to be relocated in stages but some of them would not budge! They want to stay PUT! Meetings with former mayors of Kuala Lumpur and City Hall officers did not PAY dividends! The Minister must look into this! The ball is now in his court. Some form of decision must be taken. Minister, you cannot afford to have any PARTISAN views or feelings. You have to decide, come hell or high water! It’s for the good of everyone. We would like some answers, simple and straightforward, not a report that contained a PLETHORA of detail.

Let us now take a look at the ordinary, unimportant people within our midst. The homeless, the vagrants and the destitute, often wandering around aimlessly in the city, sometimes begging and at times, PILFERING. They are living in PENURY. They are living in extreme POVERTY. A dog’s life if I may say so. Will they see a better tomorrow? What can we do to help? Or are we just PITILESS onlookers? Many of us do not feel sympathetic towards their PLIGHT! We simply close our eyes and shut our ears! We sometimes even refused to listen to their PLEAS. Don’t tell me that this is not true. Are we really that arrogant, selfish or even impersonal? Then the funeral PYRE is the PLACE for us!



We live in a PLURAL society. We simply cannot afford to be PICKY! There must not be any POLARITY between us! If we choose to ‘walk and play” with our own race, sooner or later, we’ll find ourselves drifting further away from each other. Maybe one day we would reach a POINT of no return! By then, it would all be too late! The great PAINS our forefathers took to ensure that we must all “be one forever” would come to nought! Let’s not sow the seeds of distrust nor PREACH violence. We must not let the future generations suffer because of our failures, our shortcomings. We must show solidarity. When we’re united, nobody can “PENETRATE into our fort”. Good! Let’s do the “locomotion” come one weekend and make sure everyone takes part! “Come on baby, do the locomotion with me….” Where? You suggest the venue and of course I’ll be there! I need to loosen up every now and then.

To be quite honest with you, I’m PERFECTLY happy to be able to mingle with fellow Malaysians of different races. We do not harbour any animosity between us. There’s no me, no you, just us! The spirit of goodwill will PREVAIL till kingdom come if we execute PATIENCE and make an indomitable effort to understand one another! I trust our relationship has improved PERCEPTIBLY. I don’t PROFESS to be an expert in these subjects but I have an inkling they worked! I was “indoctrinated” from young by my parents that when we lived together among the other races, we would know our true self. Wise words of an owl.



So, do the local authorities know their true self? They must be PROFESSIONAL when they carry out their duties. They must show great tact in dealing with the folks in this city and also towards the aliens. Being a brute doesn’t help. Neither is brute force! The man in the street, the ordinary man, cannot be easily cowed! Intimidation does not work anymore! Times have changed! People changed! And, have you changed?

It irked me to read in the papers that one local council in another state was not ready to “throw down the gauntlet” when the court ruled against them. Strangely, with so many “wild animals on the loose” in their immediate vicinity, yet they chose to hound this “domestic feline”. What kind of PERTINACIOUS people were they? Or did they have a PENCHANT to make the life of that man miserable?

It PEEVED me even more to find out that they were going all out to finish him off! Their PEREMPTORY behaviour is not something that goes down well with many of us. Eventually, the PRICE to pay is going to be heavy! For every action there is a reaction. Do not ignore this. The PERILS are real! Their “rating” would surely PLUMMET! I know there’s no easy solution to that problem, but they must at least try to find a better way to solve it. A PERVERSE decision to PERSECUTE would not solve anything! It would only earn them hatred. Eventually, they would be PISSED-off!

Many of us do not want to be PUSHED around! All we want is to earn a decent living and PROVIDING for the family. Is that too much to ask? Whatever the matter, we need to find amicable solutions. Everything must be done within limits! High-handed actions would sometimes backfire! What would happen if emotions that have been PENT up for so long exploded? Any flare-ups would not auger well for anybody. For the common good of everybody, we need common-sense approach to everyday matters. It would be no laughing matter if things do not worked out to everyone’s expectation and satisfaction! We cannot just go around treading on our own people!

But of course you can go round and “tread on” the aliens! They are just another PAIN in the neck! I am talking about those who do not have the 3Ps (PASSPORT, PERMIT and PAPERS). They seemed to be “PARACHUTING” from the skies into our city. PROMPT and decisive action must be taken by the authorities to stop their “invasion.” There should not be any PALTRY excuses! Things would come to a PRETTY PASS if we are not PREPARED to take immediate action on them.

Sometimes, even a PINPRICK from these aliens would give us the shivers! When they flocked together, only God knows what they would do! Some even behaved like feudal barons that existed during the Middle Ages in Europe, monopolising certain sectors of business as if it is their right! Can the local authorities get down to business and do something about that? We do not want to face the POSSIBILITY of being aliens in our own city! These aliens, without the 3Ps, have no business to be here in the first place!

Isn’t it ironic to see us “misplaced” when the aliens have “shops and boutiques” in the city? Are the authorities not doing enough? The incubus of their “total” freedom is something we are not too happy with! Their often, decadent behaviour infuriated many of us! The authorities must act fast to allay our fears and our unhappiness. Do not POOH-POOH our grievances. These are not PIFFLING complaints. We are worried for ourselves and for our children! They are the aliens, not us!

Do not compromise on security and PEACE. I’m sure many of us are feeling increasingly PERTURBED by their PRESENCE. Do not PROLONG our agony, mentally or physically! We want to see a quick end to this torture!

More often than not, their burgeoning POPULATION is also a cause for concern. PLEASE act fast before everything get out of hand! My city, Kuala Lumpur does not belong to these uninvited aliens. There cannot be a PARITY of treatment for them. They are not us! The legal ones must toe the line. As for those without PROPER documents, sent them home! By the way, where’s the man with the baseball cap? We need his services. We need his planes!

We want to walk on the streets without feeling worried or nervous. We want to sleep PEACEFULLY at night. Again, is that too much to ask? Not really if we take the initiative to be good and friendly neighbours first. We need to be PUBLIC-spirited in order to cooperate harmoniously. We need to “stake-out” for each other. These are the basic PHILOSOPHIES we must adhered to overcome the “fear factor”. We must stay vigilant at all times. We simply cannot afford to let our guard down!

So, when everything is done right…the local councils serving without PREJUDICE, serving dedicatedly and should be completely without bias, then everyone would be happy and contented. We can then PAT ourselves on the back and we can all celebrate! We can all PARTY! Only then can we tell the world this: “My city beckons you! Malaysia welcomes you!” Adieu for now.

1Malaysia. PEOPLE First. PERFORMANCE Now.