Thesun 2009-01-14 Page12 A Tussle To Watch

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theSun

| WEDNESDAY JANUARY 14 2009

speak up! letters

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A tussle to watch IT was a photograph scratch my back and I’ll that provided some scratch yours” but with comic relief to our souls the change of guard, it is which over the past few widely believed it won’t be days have been subject repeated, although I have to dealing with viosome doubts. What’s the lence. The photograph, reason for such a view? which appeared in The conduct of one or two Streets, shows members people is highly suspiof MCA including a cious. Their manoeuvring former state exco memand interference in local ber, Datuk Tang See CitizenNades council affairs tells me Hang, “reclaiming” a something is amiss. When by R. Nadeswaran community hall, which applicants for projects in they claim, belongs to Petaling Jaya are asked to the party. Although it make their presentations is on state land, it was argued, the in Shah Alam, the mystery only building was built with MCA funds. deepens. When politicians speak So, who is the legal owner of the with forked tongues, one to the building? There’s a community people and another to the business hall in USJ6 whose ownership is community, it has to be viewed with now claimed by Umno. These may more than just an inquisitive nose. be two instances where a building Despite such misgivings, when “owned by a political party on state talking about state land, one cannot land” which has become public but help bring up the issue of billknowledge, but it will not be the last either. Although no one has records as to the number of private buildings on public land, it is only a matter of time before people, like worms coming out of the woodwork, stake their claims on everything and none of us should be surprised. Remember, even school land was leased to an individual to operate a beer garden in Ampang Jaya. And don’t forget the container-offices that occupied public playgrounds. I can tell you with a clear conscience that all these were done with the express consent of the powers-thatbe in the state government and the local councils. That’s because I got it from the horse’s mouth. The question as to why the buildings were allowed to be built on boards which have been occupying state land is not for anyone but for state land without consent from the local council to answer. How in owners. In the process, the state the world did they approve building has lost millions of ringgit in revplans without the consent or temenue which could have been used porary occupation licence (TOL) to fund activities for the benefit of from the owners, in this case, the the residents. Now that the state is state government? Do these cases exercising its rights in getting what indicate that anyone can build anyit is entitled to, there are protests thing on state land without proper without understanding the crux of documentation as long as there are the issue. Could you build a house “political connections”? Perhaps, on someone else’s plot of land withit was the “old” culture of “you out paying for a lease and getting

consent from the owner? Can you claim ownership of the house when the land it is sitting on is not yours? These are pertinent questions the perpetrators of this fraud should ask themselves before spewing out venom to the uninitiated and those who lack knowledge on the subject. Almost every piece of empty land – right of way; road reserve and drainage reserve – has been “claimed” by outdoor advertising companies as if ownership is their right. The over-used excuse is: “We applied for TOL but there was no reply, so we started building.” On the same premise, if you own a piece of land and someone wants to lease it and you ignore such a request, does it give him the right to occupy the land? Such basic common sense does not seem to get into the heads of some people. They say “councils should not do business” but they fail to address the issue of trespass on public land. While previously duit kopi did wonders in making some council staff do all the wrong things, it does not work anymore with a new set of councillors who believe in going by the book. Having said that, what’s happened to the Petaling Jaya Municipal Council’s promise to bring down scores of illegal billboards. The councillors started with a bang at a town hall meeting assuring the public that those at road junctions and those obstructing buildings will be brought down. And that was more than a month ago. To date nothing has been done. Has the council suddenly got cold feet or are politicians who are fronting business interests exerting their influence as in the past? R. Nadeswaran is editor (special and investigative reporting) at theSun. He can be reached at: citizen-nades@ thesundaily.com

Micro finance rates too high I REFER to the business report “Take micro financing to face slowdown: Tee Keat” (Jan 13). Most participants at the Micro Financing Expo felt let down and in some cases shocked when banks quoted interest rates as high as 18% for micro loans. Several participants pointed out to bank executives, who made presentations, that the rates are nearly on par with credit card charges. My own discussion with an officer gave me reason to be upset when I was told that the interest rates were reasonable as the banks have over the years experienced “bad debts” which some corporations have failed to settle, hence the reason for hitting small businesses with these rates. It is ridiculous and unfair that banks should justify their decision to charge small businesses higher interest rates because larger corporations (who have been charged a much lower rate) have been bad paymasters. It would be interesting to know whether Bank Negara also

agrees to or endorses this reason and the high rates. It is obvious that the idea of micro financing in Malaysia is not what we know micro financing to be like – as in the Grameen Bank model. The government should introduce more programmes to help small businessmen instead of providing all kinds of assistance to established businesses or to support such large businesses which have developed big holes in their pockets due to poor management with the monies they have taken from the Employment Provident Fund. Failing this, at least allow small businesses to seek loans from the public. Businessmen should be allowed to advertise in the media for funding. Let it be a case of willing borrower and willing lender to help small businesses to face the downturn. Don’t force us to turn to Ah Longs. JL Yeoh Kuala Lumpur

Drop idea to light up Botanic Gardens PENANG Botanic Gardens was set up as a centre of research and propagation, not for the passing titillation of the curious public. Proposals to light up the gardens at night are ill-conceived and should be dismissed. Botanists, naturalists and anyone with any concern for our dwindling nocturnal wildlife, are appalled. It is well-known that “light pollution” is responsible for unpredictable, dysfunctional and often deadly behaviour of nocturnal mammals, insects, birds and turtles, to name a few. Moths become disoriented, fruit bats and opossums forage less because they are easy prey to predators in the light. Birds sing at unnatural hours, breeding cycles are altered, nesting becomes difficult because of the brightness, frogs and toads suf-

fer abnormal light levels, even their evening breeding croaking choruses are affected and night temperatures are raised with bright lighting. Have you tried sleeping in a brightly lit room or to relax under floodlighting? Darkness is essential for the welfare of man and beast, it is part of our internal clock and fundamental to our sense of rhythm of life. Scientists are investigating the ill-effects on humans of over-exposure to artificial light. Hawker complexes, canalising natural streams with concrete, cutting trees to build car-parks and shoplots... Isn’t it time to step back and review the direction the Botanic Gardens seems to be going before it’s too late? Loh-Lim Li Lee Penang

One voice welcomed WHILE the world watches aghast the cruelty of the Israeli regime against the Palestinian people in Gaza Strip, it is heartwarming to see our MPs from both sides of the house speaking with one voice against the atrocities. The barbaric act of the Israel Defence Force is unparallelled in modern times and comparable to the Nazi genocide against the Jews in World War Two. Pictures of babies and small children killed and maimed in the bombardments will be etched in the memory of people and thus one is not surprised by demonstrations against the war in major cities worldwide. Without the backing of their main sponsor the United States, Israel would not be able to act with impunity against the Palestinians in Gaza. All the weapons used against the innocent are made in the US and shipped to their client state. Let us hope US president-elect Barack Obama will be able to broker a lasting agreement among the warring factions in the Middle East which will bring peace to all in that volatile region. Nan Kuala Lumpur