System dysfunction continues to unfold

12 lots of land within a 1.9 hectare land in Ayer Tawar, near Sitiawan, belonging to the state government was alienated and given to an individual to be sub-divided into individual lots and sold back to the local villagers.

The state land involved, includes seven lots belonging to SRJK(C) Ayer Tawar and five lots of a recreational park, which is known to villagers as “Disneyland”.


Currently, five classrooms and a computer resource centre are sitting on the seven lots of land in the school, which was started about 40 years ago.

Dr Lim Keng Yaik, who is also Energy, Water and Communications Minister, said there was a move by certain people to apply for the land so that it could be sub-divided and sold to the villagers. “If the land was meant for the villagers to build houses, then it should be made available to them and not be given to an individual to sell to the villagers.” Dr Lim added that 825 signatures had been collected from villagers protesting against the move.

“I have written to the (Perak) Mentri Besar (Datuk Seri Mohamd Tajol Rosli Ghazali) and the district officer strongly objecting to the move to alienate the land to an individual,” Dr Lim said.

So, you can see how the state councillors rob the state for personal benefits.

In another story, a sophisticated oxidation pond & sewerage treatment plant project in Taman Chi Liung creates havoc to residents.

What was supposed to be a sophisticated underground waste system is now a metre-high ground that has a drying bed to manually process human waste. About RM4.5mil has gone to waste, claim the residents.

The stench and flies are still there. The health hazard is apparent. Ironically, the oxidation pond belongs to a hospital - the Tengku Ampuan Rahimah Hospital. And, the residents want an explanation from the authorities.

Housewife Padmini Sebastian said the hospital authorities had met her along with several residents' representatives in April. “They told us there would be an underground system complemented by equalisation, aeration and sedimentation tanks beside a sludge storage tank,” she said. “We were happy to know that the oxidation pond would be concealed and located underground,” said Padmini. “They said all we would see are motors placed on a flat ground.” She said the hospital authorities assured her that there would not be any more stench emitted from the pond. “They even handed me the project's specifications.”

By August, residents were beginning to have that sinking feeling. The drying bed was built and instead of concealing things, everything was exposed. Representatives from PJ Bumi Bhd, the contractor, said these were done so that human waste could be conventionally dried in the open air before being turned into fertiliser. “This was never said at the meeting, nor was it in the specifications shown to us,” said Padmini. Chemical firm manager Evelyn Ho, 54, said the residents then took the hospital authorities to task. “They agreed that we were right, but along the way they made an about-turn for reasons best known to them,” she said. “They said there was nothing much that could be done since the drying bed had been built.''

Ho said the problems did not end there. A wall, built several inches away from the back of houses, posed a new threat. “Residents fear that the narrow passage will turn messy with water from the oxidation pond collected there.” Tan Kim Piow, 65, said he and other taxpayers felt cheated. “It is strange that government authorities allow contractors to get away with shoddy work, then turn a deaf ear to our pleas,” he said.

Housewife Maryah Othman, 58, said the RM4.8mil was part of RM13mil that the Health Ministry allocated to the hospital for its faulty air-conditioning system and wiring, among others. “We fear there is no solution to our problem,” she said. “But, we can't live in such conditions.” Hospital director Dr Yahya Baba was not available for comment because he was away attending a course.