Bandar Mahkota Cheras Toll Turmoil

A lot of people are euphoric about the Pakatan Rakyat state government of Selangor. They have been in power for less than 2 months, still too early to pass any judgement. We cannot deny the 'new broom sweeps clean' phenomenon. So far, there is no obvious infighting among the component parties of Pakatan Rakyat and this is a good start for them. However, Pakatan Rakyat’s Wakil Rakyat should be conscious that they are in the state government now and are a part of it. They should be solving problems and not just raising problems. They need to change their 'opposition mindset' and get down to governing.

Hence, whether they should take to the street on the Bandar Mahkota Cheras issue is debatable. They may be sending the message that if people are not happy with any issue, they can protest, demonstrate. The problem with any demonstration is that when it involves many people, it may be difficult to control and some may end up taking the law into their own hands. It is so obvious that this is not the most effective way to solve the problem. If you are a part of the government, unless of course you want to show that you are 'a man of action' and that you’re with the people thus taking part in the demonstration, you should not neglect the avenues available to you now that PR is the state government in Selangor.

Nevertheless, in the Bandar Mahkota Cheras (BMC) incident, the use of excessive police force against the protestors was uncalled for and should not be tolerated in our society. Violence only begets violence. There has been too much of this inappropriate force used recently.

In yet another unrelated incident some time back, a Selangor state EXCO spent the night in jail because he apparently obstructed the police who were taking action against a hotel which was a front for illegal and immoral activities. Is this particular Wakil Rakyat doing the right thing?

Back to the case of BMC issue, firstly, it can be easily determined whether the toll concessionaire has the right to build the barricade. Secondly, the authority that gave the permission for the barricade to be erected - is it valid? Thirdly and most importantly, people who are affected by the toll have the right to demand an alternative road so that the toll road is not the only road of access.

All these could have been resolved through the state government since land matters fall under the purview of the state, rather than through direct confrontation(especially now that the Selangor state government is PR). A leader should lead, so when in power learn how to govern more effectively and not just protest and take to the streets. Imagine what would happen to Malaysia if over every issue Wakil Rakyat is involved in demonstration.

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民盟掌政雪州政府，让很多人欢欣不已。该政府当家还不到两个月，现阶段还不能对其表现下判断。所谓“新官上任三把火”，截至目前民盟执政团队里也表现得合作无间，未见分歧，这是好的现象。不过，在处理官民对立的课题方面，民盟政府就得格外谨慎了。

就谈近日来闹得沸沸扬扬得蕉赖皇冠城封路事件吧。在有关事件中，我严厉谴责警方行使暴力驱散人群，包括在试图逮捕林立迎时，却对他拳打脚踢。尽管如此，民盟代议士处理有关事件的方式也值得深入探讨。

当晚，我们看到几位代议士：雪州行政议员欧阳捍华、沙登区国会议员张念群和泗岩沫国会议员林立迎在现场和和大道公司对恃不果，号召居民推开石墩。议员在前线为选民卖命没有错，但这些议员似乎忘了他们已经是州政府的一份子，而不是反对党；他们忘了是受委托解决问题，而不仅是挑出问题等别人来解决。

问题既已挑出，他们不该等人家来呼应。身为州政府，他们应该想办法，例如先和大道公司商量折衷方案安民心、缓情绪，再研讨此风波涉及的合约和州权限等及解决途径，而不是带领居民群体在街头示威，使紧张场面继续升温而引发冲突。民盟政府议员这么做，可能会误导人民，举凡对某些课题不满都可以通过示威来解决。事实上这项做法往往让局势失控，一发不可收拾。他们是执法者，同时却用这种煽情和戏剧化的手法去应对问题，最终问题可能并没有获得解决，但却因此忽略和耽搁了州政府的事务。

在另一个场合，雪州一位州行政议员因试图阻止警方取缔一间非法营运的酒店，而被扣留。这些代议士所做的是正确的吗？

回到蕉赖皇冠城封路事件，当局应该确认该大道公司是否有权设路墩并、第二，谁授权设路墩，以及 第三，受影响的居民有权要求当局开设交替道路。由于土地权在州政府手中，上述这些事项都可以通过州政府解决。身为领袖应该学习如何有效执政，而不是上街示威。试想想，如果每一位代议士都参与示威，我国会变成怎么样？