Malay Mail
By DAWN CHAN
THE road was busy so he decided that it was better for him to walk on the pavement.
But little did the 57-year-old retiree realise that it could be dangerous and ‘painful’.
Lee, who was walking towards the pasar malam at Jalan Hujan Rahmat 3 in Taman OUG to buy dinner, had stepped on a slab of cracked concrete which subsequently collapsed causing his left leg to be lodged in the hole.
Relating the July 5 incident, Lee said it took place about 6.30pm when he was heading for his friend’s stall.
“I was in so much pain that I almost passed out. I could not even lift my leg out of the hole. Lucky for me, two of my friends passed by and took me to a clinic,” said Lee.
Lee suffered cuts and bruises on his knee and shin and he could not walk for two days.
The father of two added that he had to fork out RM400 on medical bills. He also claimed the loss of income of about RM600 as a part-time consultant to a printing company.
Limping his way to the scene, Lee and Seputeh MP Teresa Kok showed reporters where he had fallen.
The incident seemed too ironic, he added.
“I have been advising my friends to be careful, especially when they walk on the pavement as the concrete slabs are thin and cracking. Luckily, I only suffered minor injuries unlike a friend of mine who was badly injured and received 21 stitches when he fell into a hole,” said Lee.
Kok expressed regret that numerous complaints forwarded to City Hall by her had fallen on deaf ears.
She said she had accompanied City Hall officers to several sites around the area several years ago.
“Must they wait until something worse happens? This is endangering the lives of residents here. This is a basic necessity and by right, they do not have to go to the extent of complaining. City Hall should be proactive when it comes to maintaining facilities like this,” said Kok.
Kok also pointed out that a lot of concrete slabs covering drains around the area are missing.
City Hall public and international relations officer Muhammad Sidek Khalid clarified that its Public Works Department had embarked on the upgrading of the pavement by replacing it with concrete slabs around the city in stages.
He added that this was done after pavements around the city and housing neighbourhoods were badly damaged in the recent floods.
“Taman OUG has been long identified as a problem area and we have recognised the need for it to be upgraded and replaced fast,” he told The Malay Mail.
The works, which began on Wednesday, are being carried out at Jalan Hujan Rahmat 2 and 3. It is expected to be completed on Sept 24.
Malaysia is becoming a undeveloped country. I think the quality of public amenities are getting worse. Go to Singapore and the difference is striking.
It is the responsibility of the local authority to patch up the pavement to ensure there is safety for people walking on it.
Dear MP,
It is very sad how we can easily dismiss such incidents with “Oh, what’s the fuss”. How can we ever claim that we are close to reaching first world status when such basic amenities like a safe walkway for the rakyat cannot be provided for — mind you not in some god-forsaken interior but right here in the middle of the ‘world class city’. All these only reaffirms our actual state of mindset. Despite all the clarion calls and mega billboards, we are a failure — it is when we reckon this, only then will we ever see a paradigm shift. J.D. Lovrenciear