Aliran views with deep concern the threat by the Penang Island City Council to take legal action against Selangor MCA Beliawanis chief Jessie Ooi for having posed queer questions pertaining to the City Council and Penang during the much-hyped Lim-Chua debate recently.
Events proved that she was one confused lady who shouldn’t have made a fool of herself.
While Ms Ooi’s questions may be irritatingly laughable – and she’s paying for that by the odium she has invited from angry Malaysians – threatening to slap her with a legal suit is indeed going overboard.
The dangerous signal sent out to the general public – to paraphrase Ms Ooi – is that you could get punished severely in future even for raising pertinent questions about the City Council. When people know what is the truth and what is a lie is there a need to resort to this kind of action?
Unless they rescind their intended legal action, in this instance, the City Council’s heavy-handedness will not go down well with people who cherish the culture of freedom of expression and accountability.
We call upon the City Council to call off their intended legal threat, and instead focus on other things that really matter to the people of Penang Island. Besides, this would save the ratepayers’ money that would have been wasted on the entire legal procedure.
On Jessie’s part, she should apologise for her outburst based on inaccurate ‘facts’. That should close the matter.
Aliran Executive Committee
24 February 2012
Jessie Ooi was not complaining – she was deliberately telling malicious lies and also maligning the legality of the council action in clamping cars.
I agree. MPPP should instead focus on matters which are relevant to ratepayers and not waste time and especially our money on inconsequential things like this. There are many more pressing issues to identify and rectify. For example, what have they done about monitoring the performance of Resident Associations and Joint Management Body’s of flats and apartments? For one thing, many of these residences have become havens for pet owners, particularly those who keep dogs which are a nuisance as well as a safety and hygiene risk to other residents. Many of my friends all over Penang have confided to me about the living hell they go through every day of their lives, being distracted and woken up by the sound of dogs barking throughout the day and night. Despite making repeated complaints to the management of their flats, the dog owners continue to terrorise other law abiding residents with their dogs, untouched by the management or any law. The bodies charged with administrating and managing these high rise properties are not in the least bothered about complaints against pet owners. One good example of this is Taman Utama in Minden Heights where the Joint Management Body which was appointed by residents and approved by the YDP of MPPP more than a year ago, has refused to provide residents with the House Rules that were approved by the YDP, much less enforce them or even fulfill its objectives, duties, roles and responsibilities in conformance with the Common Property Act. All they are interested in is collecting maintenance fees without giving the consistent ratepayers their money’s worth in accordance with the laws described in the Common Property Act and in the Strata Title Act. What has the MPPP under whose jurisdiction (according the Local Government Act 1976) done to monitor, intervene and solve this problem which is faced by so many flat residents all over Penang? These assessment paying residents are in a quandary because they dare not report these matters directly to the authorities for fear of retaliation by pet owners or boycott by the JMB on other matters. The MPPP should be proactive in monitoring buildings under its jurisdiction instead of waiting for people to complain. They would do well to stay out of politically motivated conflicts and focus on their duties and responsibilities to the rate paying public instead.
I totally agree to Aliran’s call to MPPP to reconsider taking any further action on Jessie Ooi.
simply that I do not and won’t be a BN fan…. But this MCA lass has had in fact did a publicity stunt whether good or bad… for herself?, MCA?, BN?, or had created such an positive impact towards Pakatan governance.
Don’t waste time on her… Her fault is actually not as bad as other leaders who you, I and every1 knows….
Forgive and forget Jessie…..
Vin