Complaints to Ipoh City Council seem to fall on deaf ears. Whatever complaints or queries that are sent to the council merely receive an acknowledgment stamp and that is as far as it gets. No reply, no action.
People who complain are often viewed as troublesome and as fault finders. Complain too much and soon an officer from the council will pay you a visit, perhaps to issue a compound in your private dwelling.
It is a fact that dengue is endemic to Ipoh for some time already. After a few cases, some with fatalities, a group of Who’s Who of Ipoh would come out of the woodwork declaring all their good intentions. “We’ll eradicate the menace and educate the public,” they chorused.
Not long ago Jerry Francis wrote that Mayor Dato’ Harun Rawi had declared 40 localities within the city as dengue hot spots. Making a declaration will not solve the problem.
There is a certain similarity about speeches made by those new in office. They make plans and then tell the public. Do they ever realise that their predecessors were unable to solve the problem in spite of so many promises?
A recent trip to Chateau Garden revealed that Selasar Chateau and Jalan Voon Thean Soo are infested with mosquitoes. This is due to stagnant water caused by blocked drains.
Despite some scathing comments on the Internet against the council, it looks like apathy has set in. Council officials and workers should take pride in their work. They must realise that their salaries are being paid for by taxpayers’ money.
Nathan Subramaniam Eliatamby
