Selayang council’s 50% rate hike unjustified, difficult to protest

Selayang Municipal Council (MPS) recently sent a letter dated April 1, regarding the increase of assessment rates next year.

Some residents only received the email on May 10 notifying them of the rate hike and the hard-copy notices were delivered to their homes the next day, which was a Saturday.

While the council has given an extension until the end of the month for residents to file their objections, most people are still facing difficulty in sending in their protests.

This may sound familiar to residents under other local councils.

While the local council appears to seek feedback regarding the assessment rate hike, such feedback forms seem to be designed to make it difficult for residents to respond.

The quantum of our rate increase is over 50%.

Although MPS may argue that the rate has not been raised for many years, this is not the time to raise assessment rates.

During the Covid-19 pandemic, we had to pay the current rate although not much work was done.

In the first place, MPS’ performance has been found wanting over the years.

I have lived in an area under this local council’s jurisdiction since 1997, when it was under its first president, Kasjoo Kadis.

Until today, MPS has not improved.

Furthermore, there is little or no reform in the way the local government operates. There is little or almost nothing mentioned about making changes to the Local Government Act.

We want to see improvement in the way the third tier of government delivers its services.

If not, their department directors should have their salaries cut by 20%.

Since ministers have been subjected to salary cuts, why can’t the council department directors also accept the same, especially at a time when the country is going through tough times?

Just imagine how bad the situation is when one has to campaign for several years just to get the local council to fix steep road humps that scrape the undercarriage of some cars.

Politicians had claimed that these steeper road humps were at the request of residents.

And there are several other issues where the relevant departments are still dragging their feet.

If Penang can clean up illegal dumpsites, and if Kuching can be the 15th cleanest city in the world, why should Selangor remain one of the dirtiest states in the country?

STEPHEN NG

Selayang