Residents lack commitment, say RAs
Malay Mail 1/3/2005

City Hall director-general Salleh Yusop was not exaggerating when he said on Sunday that only a handful of Residents Associations (RA) are active in combating crime and beautifying their areas. This is what The Malay Mail gathered yesterday from several RAs in the city and Selangor following Salleh’s disclosure.

Most RAs focused on social gatherings and other issues as they felt that crime fighting should be left to the police.

They also said residents showed lack of commitment towards their RAs as they were busy with work.

However, there were some who have been organising campaigns and other activities to beef up security in their neighbourhood.

* City Hall’s Razak flats RA vice-chairman Albert Phoon Wai Tuck: “The residents here have not been supportive in terms of money and time. So we are trying to get them to join as members and co-operate with us in combating crime. Anti-dadah campaigns have been our major focus as there are many drug addicts here. With the help of the police, we have managed to reduce the crime rate in this area, especially theft."

* Pandan Indah low-cost flats RA president Chandran Regasamy: “I made several police reports on criminal activities here but the police have yet to take action. We feel that we have no right to get involved in crime prevention and it’s solely up to the police. But generally, our RA is active. We have monthly meetings and open houses during festivals. The main reason most RAs are inactive is because residents refuse to join the association.”

* Bandar Sri Damansara RA president Chin Choong Nam: “It is difficult to get co-operation from the residents. Although we have done everything we could, crime rate in the area is still high. There are about four to five cases every day, including break-ins, car jacking and snatch theft. The residents feel that crime fighting should be the left to the police since they pay taxes.”

* SS7 Kelana Jaya RA president Datuk Anuar Jaafar: “The crime rate is not serious in our area. We are focusing on environmental issues like preserving the Kelana Jaya lake. Residents have been active in activities organised by the association. Everyone is getting a fair share of work. The residents are generally co-operative.”

* Taman Tun Dr Ismail RA president, Abdul Latiff Mohd Som: “We are proud to be listed in the top 10 exemplary neighbourhoods in Kuala Lumpur. Last October, we organised a crime prevention talk with Brickfields police, Malaysia Crime Prevention Foundation and the residents.”

* Bangsar Baru RA secretary Thevi Sinnaderai: “Our RA is well recognised as we maintain good rapport with the authorities. Even during meetings, we have representatives from City Hall and the police so that we can work closely with them. We get good response from the residents to our activities. Recently, a resident donated money to buy two motorcycles for the police so that they can patrol our area.”

* Lucky Gardens RA president Ahmad Nordeen Mohd Salleh: “The crime rate in Lucky Gardens is low. This is due to the good co-operation between the association and the police. We have four volunteers to patrol the area every day. Since they are not in uniform, criminals would not be able to spot them. They would report any crime to the police for immediate action. I don’t have any difficulties in getting the residents’ co-operation.”

* Petaling Jaya RA president S.S. Rajalingam: “The association is active in crime prevention. We distribute booklets on how to prevent crime to the members.”