City-Hall not always wrong

FMT - Car-clamp issue: ‘Officers were just doing their job’ (extracts):

Mayor Maimunah Mohd Sharif 

Penang Island’s mayor has praised the two officers who clamped the car of a woman who was with her wheelchair-bound mother, saying they carried out their duties diligently and honestly but that their communication skills could have been better.

Penang Island City Council (MBPP) Mayor Maimunah Mohd Sharif said the officers could have calmed the woman down and explained that she had committed an offence by not having a handicapped parking sticker or ID on her car, which was parked in a lot for disabled drivers.

“The officers did a normal a job, they saw no OKU (disabled person’s) card or parking pass on a car parked in a lot meant for the disabled, so they clamped the car.

“I met the two officers, I said next time if you have this kind of situation, you have to be firm but polite. As public servants, we must keep calm. They should calm the other person down and explain to them that they have committed an offence and not respond to provocations.

“I also told them that they must call their boss if faced with similar situations, so that we do not have a repeat of what happened,” Maimunah told reporters after visiting a construction site at Bukit Kukus in Paya Terubong today. [...]

Maimunah met the woman yesterday and assured her that her parking summons would be voided and her disabled parking pass application expedited, as long as she provides an OKU card.

This has been a case where the public sympathies have gone to the wrong party, the woman who violated parking regulations but claimed no wrong on the basis she has a disabled mum.

If she had the disability (OKU) card, she would of course be entitled to use the parking spot for 'disabled people', but she did not, hence her car was clamped by parking wardens.

The situation got a bit messy due to the woman's intransigence and the wardens' lack of inter-personal handling. She even demanded actions to be taken against the two MBPP traffic wardens.

But on the basis of legal fairness which is always to Penangites' benefits, the wardens were only doing their duties, and correctly too. They should not be faulted.

As State Local Government committee chairperson Chow Kon Yeow said: "A wrong is a wrong. We have laws that we need to comply with. I understand the woman may have felt hurt but we have guidelines in MBPP which we must abide."

Chow also explained why the wardens couldn't cancel compound notice as they wished:

"It is a process which internally, MBPP officers must abide with. Ratepayers must understand that the MBPP officers need to be accountable for the compounds that they issue. They cannot simply issue or reject the compounds. They are answerable."

That would prevent 'pungli' nonsense.

I have been annoyed with the MCA holding a press conference for the woman to rant at her grievances against the traffic wardens, just to get at the DAP-led state government.

But I am glad that the Mayor met with and informed the woman that the parking summons would be voided so long as she provides an OKU card, and that the card would be expedited for her.

I am additionally happy that she gave some morale (not moral, wakakaka) support to the two wardens who were performing their duties correctly - likewise with Chow Kon Yeow.

As the military would say, 'Morale is the second most important winning principal war'. It keeps morale high and the troops more willing to do their jobs right.

I caution both sides of politics to avoid holding unnecessary press conferences to sensationalise matters which the alleged aggrieved or more 'noisy' parties may not even be legally right.

If those politicians want to help sincerely and not for political brownie points on issues unjustified, just help the affected party resolve the matter, like MCA's Mr Fit-it-Guy, Michael Chong. Don't sensationalise matters like this.

Michael Chong