I did not do it! I only go to see!

This picture is blur but the perpetrators are clear, if you see the actual picture in The Star. No doubt at all who used the Angle Grinder (not electric saw as reported).

Is this the way Malaysian YBs serve the rakyat, by being law breakers themselves?

If there was a genuine safety problem caused by the metal rods just cordoned off the area and take other non-illegal actions.

Will try to get a better copy of the above picture from The Star. The above picture was taken directly from the hardcopy of The Star, Friday, 2nd May 2008.

Star online, Friday May 2, 2008
DAP trio held over damage to proposed telecom pole
BY MARTIN CARVALHO

MALACCA: Three DAP assemblymen were arrested, but later released on police bail, for investigations into damage caused to an abandoned lamp-cum-telecommunication pole in Bachang here yesterday.

In the 10.30am incident yesterday, Bachang assemblyman Lim Jak Wong had gone over to Taman Kesidang, Kampung Lapan, with state party chairman Goh Leong San and Kota Melaka MP Sim Tong Him to remove several metal rods at the base of a proposed telecommunication pole.

Lim, the Malacca state DAP secretary, used an electric saw to cut off 10 of the 10cm metal rods protruding from the base after failing to break them off with a hammer.

Handcuffed: Police arresting Lim in Bachang Thursday. He is being investigated for mischief during an unlawful assembly.

He was arrested shortly after the incident and taken to the Melaka Tengah police station for questioning, while Goh and Sim were detained at about noon after being called in by the police.

All three were released on police bail at about 5.30pm, and Lim was sent to the Malacca Hospital for a medical check-up after he alleged that he was assaulted by the police while in the lock-up.

The three are being investigated for mischief during an unlawful assembly, an offence that carries up to five years' jail and a fine.

Speaking to reporters later, Goh, the Kesidang assemblyman, said he was shocked by their arrest as they had merely gone over to address issues raised by residents of the area.

“We had finished at the site and gone for coffee at a nearby shop. However, I noticed several police personnel with Jak Wong when I was walking to my car. I later received a call from him saying he had been arrested,” he said.

Goh said he lodged a report over the alleged assault of Lim.

Sim also expressed dismay at the police action, claiming the three were merely attending to woes raised by the public.

“The metal rods posed a danger to residents and schoolchildren from nearby Tun Tuah secondary school. We had merely gone there to see how to resolve the issue,” he said, adding that there was no picket or demonstration.

Read article below to understand why YBs like to act that way:

Sun2Surf: Updated: 09:24AM Tue, 08 Apr 2008

Goh Ban Lee: Work on compliance

AS in every general election, the successful candidates, especially the newly minted assemblymen (ADUNs) and members of parliament (MPs), promise to work hard. While this is reassuring, it is also imperative that they work within the law.

After all, ADUNs and MPs are first and foremost legislators. As the law makers they should uphold the law and not break it or abet others to do so.

But this can be very difficult because they will be approached to help those perceived to be victims of government actions.

With the exception of a very few people, such as Karpal Singh and Lim Kit Siang, most elected politicians, unless appointed to executive positions, will not become famous for their stance on national or state issues.

They may not like the term "longkang politicians", but most new yang berhormats (YBs) will be judged on their actions related to municipal issues, such as clogged drains, pot holes, dirty markets, parking, hawkers and development projects. Until the local authorities become very efficient and effective, the people will seek their ADUNs and MPs to solve municipal problems or facilitate their dealings with municipal authorities.

Alternatively, until local government elections are reintroduced, the ADUNs and MPs will still perform the longkang chores as most Malaysians are not clear about their roles and those of the municipal councillors.

As such, being asked to assist in clearing clogged drains or fixing street lights or applications for licences and permits will become routine in the life of elected politicians. There are, of course, rewards as such chores normally get their pictures in the newspapers. Then there are the gratitude of the people.

Unfortunately, as many ADUNs and even MPs will quickly find out, works related to local authorities will involve mitigating for people who break municipal rules and regulations. Putting it more bluntly, unless they have strong moral fibre, YBs will quickly be in cahoots with those who break municipal laws.

It is interesting that the first joint statement of the ten opposition MPs for Kuala Lumpur, some of whom are Selangor state executive council members, accused the Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL) of victimisation of hawkers and petty traders by intensifying enforcement actions after the elections.

On the other hand, the unsuccessful MCA-Barisan Nasional (BN) candidate for Bukit Bintang, Datuk Lee Chong Meng, also blamed DBKL’s overtly strict enforcement of the law before elections for the almost total wipe-out of BN candidates.

DBKL has replied that it was only doing its duty. There will always be questions about fairness in enforcement actions. But there is no doubt that those who were served summonses did break the law.

It is important to note that non-compliance with municipal rules and regulations is one of the major reasons why the towns and cities are haphazard, dirty and unpleasant. Indeed, if one has to criticise the local authorities, it is their unwillingness or inability to enforce municipal rules and regulations.

There are many reasons for non-compliance with municipal rules and regulations and why local authorities largely fail to enforce the laws. A detailed discussion on these issues has been done in my book Non-compliance – A Neglected Agenda in Urban Governance, published in 2002.

Suffice to mention here that one of the major factors for the high incidence of non-compliance is interference by politicians, including YBs. As such, hard work, if done wrongly, can be a disservice to the society.

There are, of course, reasons for the YBs to believe that they should help those served with summonses. One is the existence of dated laws and standards. Furthermore, many laws and standards are based on the needs and comforts of the middle-class and are unfriendly to the poor.

Although the YBs have no direct roles in the workings of the local authorities, they should call for a review of such regulations and work with the local councillors to rewrite the municipal rules and standards. As a matter of principle, if a law is bad or inapplicable to one group of people, it is not good for the whole society.

But they should not interfere with the workings of the local authorities, including actions against those who breach the law. Asking the authorities to close one eye is bad governance. It also promotes corruption.

If the officers can close an eye to please the YBs, they can also do so to please themselves.

As a general rule, YBs are very hard-working people. It is hoped that their hard work is done honourably. Breaking municipal rules or helping others to do so, is not an honourable thing. Indeed, it is illegal.

Goh is a retired academic interested in urban governance, housing and urban planning.