KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 13 — A residents’ association leader in the parliamentary constituency of Seputeh today likened his flats to “a hotel on the inside but like Highland Towers on the outside”, as grievances over abandoned cars, peeling paint and poor upkeep dominated a dialogue session with Kuala Lumpur Mayor Datuk Seri Maimunah Mohd Sharif.
The remark came from Atar Bacha, 56, chairman of the Kampung Muhibbah residents’ association, a low-cost People’s Housing Project (PPR), at the Dialog Bandar Raya 2025 held at Kompleks Komuniti Muhibbah in Taman OUG.
The two-hour session drew residents of all races, community representatives and officials from City Hall (DBKL), police, the Fire and Rescue Department, Tenaga Nasional Bhd and waste management company SWCorp.
Maimunah acknowledged the frustration, explaining that until recently City Hall could not tow abandoned cars because they remained registered with the Road Transport Department (JPJ).
“If we acted without JPJ’s approval, it was considered stealing. We’ve been engaging with JPJ for some time and now they have given us the authority to tow these vehicles. I understand there are many.
“Based on today’s feedback, there are 250 abandoned cars at PPR Kampung Muhibbah. Tomorrow night I will send my liaison officer to inspect,” she said.
But the mayor also called for cooperation, revealing that tenants in the PPR owed DBKL RM1.6 million in rent and RM1.9 million in water bills, some dating back to 2008.
“When enforcement comes, people accuse the mayor of lacking compassion. But if you already have RM2 million in rental arrears since 2008, surely you cannot have been living for free all this time,” she said, urging Atar to help persuade residents to settle their dues.
Beyond flats maintenance, residents also raised concerns about illegal workshops. Maimunah said while the law allowed for demolition, enforcement was not always straightforward.
Armed confrontations
“Sometimes when we go in, they confront us with machetes. By right, if it’s illegal we can shut it down, but we also consider the social and economic impact. Such as the pasar malam, one hawker may support five families. If there are 25 of them, that’s 125 people affected. So we try to negotiate relocations where possible,” Manimunah said.
On environmental issues, she stood firm against indiscriminate tree-cutting.
“My engineers recently submitted a plan that required removing several trees. I told them to go back to the drawing board and find a way to widen the road without cutting them down.
“When I was in Penang, people would hug trees to stop them being felled. I will be the last person to agree to tree-cutting, unless absolutely necessary,” she said, drawing applause from the floor.
Maimunah had served as Penang island mayor from July 2017 to January 2018 before taking up a post as executive director of the UN Human Settlements Programme until January last year.
Throughout the two-hour dialogue, Maimunah repeatedly turned to senior DBKL officers in the hall, either demanding immediate answers or instructing them to follow up directly with residents.
“When there’s a problem, we bring all the relevant parties together, and we work towards a win-win solution,” she said.
