Saturday August 29, 2009
Johoreans want development, cleanliness and city revived
BY NELSON BENJAMIN AND AUSTIN CAMOENS

Taking care: An MBJB worker tending to the plants in the city.

JOHOR BARU: Johoreans and non-governmental groups in the state capital are pinning their hopes on new mayor Mohd Jaffar Awang to revive the city and improve its cleanliness and infrastructure development.

They feel that Johor Baru must emulate better-developed and cleaner cities such as Malacca and Ipoh.

Mohd Jaafar is the sixth mayor, having taken over from Datuk Mohd Naim Nasir early this month.

Safety and conducive development are topmost on the minds of folks here.

Johor Baru Indian Business Association chairman P. Sivakumar said that the mayor needed to make Johor Baru a vibrant city “Cleanliness must be emphasised.

There should be more rubbish bins available and council officers should conduct spot checks on eateries and against litterbugs,” he said.

Johor Baru Tiong Hua Association manager Eric Ku opined that the mayor should work towards turning Johor Baru into a tourist and heritage centre.

“With the state administrative centre now located in Nusajaya, the mayor will have to carry out projects to preserve the city,” he said.

Civil servant Shahir Kahdirman, 50, agreed: “Our city is the southern gateway into the peninsula and we should develop more places of interest to boost the tourism industry here.

He pointed out that Johor Baru needed more recreational areas and its infrastructure was in need of upgrading.

Rozana Moktar, 26, shared the sentiment, saying that there was a lack of pedestrian pathways.

Also concerned with safety, tourist guide Anne Molly Camoens, 51, said that the city council should increase the network of CCTV cameras, especially in areas where the new night bazaars were located.

Dorris Wee, a retiree, was of the same view.

She said snatch thefts was a growing menace in this city and suggested that the local council form a special task force with the police to curb the crime, along with the problem of illegal moneylenders.

Another major problem here, said college student Kimberly Angkangon, was flood and that Johor Baru City Council (MBJB) must take immediate steps to solve it.

Road and garbage disposal systems are among other areas that land surveyor Seow Chin Leng, 47, hoped the MBJB would look into.

While quality infrastructure is vital, Johor Baru denizens such as Margaret Er and Magdlane Tuborng place just as much importance on the city looking good.

Er, also a tourist guide, said abandoned projects that dotted the city were an eyesore.

She cited Pacific Mall as an example, saying that vandals had painted graffiti on the walls and drug addicts had been stealing the metal fixtures.

Tuborng, 33, summed it up: “Our city still has room for improvement so that it can live up to its metropolitan status.”
Congested: One of the main roads in the city centre.

StarMetro welcomes feedback from readers. E-mail to metrose@thestar.com.my.