Brickfields Rukun Tetangga (RT) and Local Agenda 21 (LA21) Safe City KL are willing to volunteer time and effort to take care of the River of Life (RoL) assets in their community. RT chairman SKK Naidu stated that they are willing to serve as custodians of the assets and can act as the eyes and ears of Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL). Representatives from the RT who live nearby can keep an eye out for any vandalism or encroachment. Despite sending multiple letters proposing this collaborative effort to DBKL, the RT has not received a response. They had even suggested adopting Taman Dusun Bandar, but it has become another neglected project. Naidu also mentioned that they had requested DBKL to upgrade the walking path and lights in Dusun park for public safety.
Naidu believes that the community can enhance the value of city assets like the RoL sites and structures by organizing activities such as morning or flea markets. The structure near the RoL site near Jalan Ang Seng can be transformed into a community center or a community-managed gym to prevent it from becoming another neglected facility. A. Ghani Mohamed, coordinator of LA21 Safe City KL, shares Naidu’s sentiment and suggests that the Malaysian Association for the Blind (MAB) could manage the area. LA21 promotes a grassroots approach, where communities, residents, and non-governmental organizations take charge of their areas based on their vision, expectations, and plans.
Naidu points out that DBKL lacks the workforce to independently manage all these locations. Ang Seng resident Selva Kumar Singam agrees and believes that hiring security personnel is unnecessary. Some guards have become complacent and have turned DBKL buildings into their personal living spaces or storage areas. Selva suggests that if the guards ventured beyond their comfort zones, they would notice people residing in these buildings and acts of vandalism. Naidu and Ghani emphasize that building a safer and healthier community can only start by granting the community ownership of these assets.
By BAVANI M
Credit: The Star : Metro Feed
