Penalise all lawbreakers

30/10/2006 The Star VALLEY VIEW By FREDERICK FERNANDEZ

HAVE you visited the website of your local council recently? I just did, and the message that greeted me at the Klang Municipal Council’s (MPK) homepage was: “Settle your assessment rates; otherwise, your home will be sealed.”

This message can also be seen all over Klang, reminding ratepayers to pay their assessment bills.

It is a known fact that local councils are super-efficient when it comes to assessment collection and will send reminders – sometimes twice within the same week – with the late penalty charges and threat of legal action if you fail to pay up within a certain period.

But while ordinary folks are coerced to pay up on time, it is strange that those appointed as municipal councillors can ignore such an important ruling, and not for one or two years but 12 consecutive years.

Datuk Zakaria Md Deros, who has served as MPK councillor for 20 years and is currently the Port Klang assemblyman, has not explained why he failed to pay more than RM5,000 in assessment for the last 12 years for his home in Kampung Idaman in Panda-maran.

He also allegedly failed to obtain approval for the construction of his satay outlet, DZ Satay, located not far from his current home.

Even more baffling is why, given its efficiency at tracing defaulters and sending them warning letters, MPK failed to take any action all these years.

Are there two sets of rules, one for ordinary folks and one for well-connected politicians or mini-Napoleons?

Going by MPK’s message on its website and banners in every nook and corner of the royal town, Zakaria’s house should have been sealed not once but 12 times. But this was never done, and people are wondering why.

Could it be that MPK was lenient because Zakaria was facing financial problems? Certainly not; otherwise, how could he afford to build a four-storey mansion, estimated to cost RM6mil minus the delayed building plan fees of RM24,000 which he duly settled within days after the matter was highlighted by the media?

The mansion, dubbed “Istana Idaman,” finally came under due scrutiny by the Anti-Corruption Agency (ACA), which is now investigating how the 43,000 sq ft of state land was alienated to Zakaria’s wife, Datin Zizah Ngah, for a measly RM180,000 in 2003.

Village folks in the area, many of whom live in low-cost homes, cannot believe that the area, originally reserved for a religious school, had fallen into the hands of one individual.

Another MPK councillor, Mazlynoor Abdul Latiff, defended his move to build a mini-mansion in Kampung Raja Uda, Port Klang, without getting prior approval from MPK as “other councillors are also doing it, why pick on me.”

Zakaria’s name was dragged into another controversy, this time relating to the appointment of three members of his family as MPK councillors.

Apart from him, his son, Zainuri, and daughter-in-law, Roselinda Abdul Jamil, were named councillors for the 2006-2008 term. It would have been four had his wife, Zizah, not turned down the nomination to be a councillor as well.

Public outcry over the appointment of three members of Zakaria’s family led to the councillors’ swearing-in ceremony, scheduled for last Friday, being postponed.

Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Dr Mohamad Khir Toyo has gone on record saying that only two members of a family can serve as municipal councillors.

On Saturday, Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah, who ordered Zakaria to meet him at Istana Bukit Kayangan in Shah Alam, told the Klang Umno division chief to relinquish his MPK councillor post.

Zakaria was also told to mend his wayward ways or risk being stripped of his datukship.

The Zakaria episode has definitely opened a can of worms on the actions and conduct of leaders who are supposed to lead by example but, instead, succumb to self-interest by abusing their powers and privilieges.

Certainly, there are many others blatantly flouting the law for their own benefit and interest but are able to get away with it because of their political clout or connections with those holding top positions in the government.

On their part, government officers are duty-bound to serve without fear or favour as they are paid with taxpayers’ money to perform a task vital to preventing corrupt practices and favouritism.

While the focus has been on Zakaria for blatantly flouting the law, it is strange why MPK and the Klang Land Office failed miserably to take punitive action on him for not adhering to the local by-laws all these years.

The local authorities should take part of the blame as the expose of such cases clearly showed that had they carried out their work properly there would be no room for such irregularities whether it involved the ordinary folks or so called “mini-Napoleons.”

It is about time the ACA did a thorough check to determine how councillors and other elected representatives plus their families and cronies could obtain vast plots of state land so easily when farmers and settlers have to wait sometimes up to 30 years to gain ownership of the land they cultivate for agriculture purpose.

More importantly perhaps the Inland Revenue Board should pull up their socks and start investigating how these people have the financial means to enjoy luxury lifestyle and build mansions costing a few million ringgit.

There is no two-ways about it; whoever breaks the law must be prepared to face the consequences and, more importantly, pay the penalty.