HAVING served in the Petaling Jaya City Council (MBPJ) for almost four years, I must say that the default image the public has about government officers is that they are corrupt. It is hard not to be categorised as such when there are plenty of news articles that point towards impropriety in both conduct and [...]

THERE is a proposal by the Petaling Jaya City Council (MBPJ) to redevelop the PJU1, PJU2, SS and PJS areas of Petaling Jaya (PJ). Details of these proposals are found in the Draft Special Area Plan and the council is invoking Section 16B of the Town and Country Planning Act (TCPA) 1976 for this exercise. [...]

RECENTLY, I had the pleasure of participating in several workshops involving people with disabilities organised by Beautiful Gate Foundation. The speakers took the trouble to paint a world of constant struggle with many things that able-bodied persons take for granted, be it from traversing steps to visiting a public restroom. The challenges aren’t limited to [...]

IF we think the price of development is traffic jams, we are mistaken. That isn’t the only price people have to pay for so-called progress in the city. The question is, will PJ residents continue to pay the price for development in their city or can measures be taken to avoid these hidden costs?

WHEN residents talk about development in an urban environment, the discussion primarily focuses on ensuing traffic problems for the existing neighbourhood. Developers would, in turn, talk about how they are bringing in much needed economic activity into the area to justify the project. Any discussion without a base framework to start from would invariably lead [...]

ONE of my investigations as a Petaling Jaya City Council (MBPJ) councillor has been into the mystery of how the council could allow a 24-storey building to go up when the project only had a planning permission for 22 storeys. I usually begin any investigation by requesting information through official means. Since councillors don’t always [...]