A Swollen Head CAT?

After 308. Today, this morning, was my first time paid a visit to KOMTAR with my good friend Mr Tan to the 52nd floor, EXCO office. The intention was to meet up with YB Chow for an appointment to meet him, since Mr Tan had arranged, to seek his advice on how to resolve a problem entangled with MPPP, to demolish an extension work for his (Mr Tan) sister's premises.

We were both there at the office before 11.00am, an old lady was already therein desperately trying to clarify her problem to the cool listening YB Chow at the reception lobby in his cosy office. From the jittery of gestures the poor lady was in, I could sense that she was in some kind of trouble with her building when she clumsily managed one thick stack of construction drawings trying to explain something to the tired looking YB who stood there without much expression, close to apathetic, if I were to describe the tense situation thence!

Mr Tan and I waited for merely less than 5 minutes and the youngish and petite Secretary was so friendly and efficient, led us into the spacious and newly refurbished office, which prior to 308, and before, I had paid visits quite regularly to it, when Dr Teng, the former EXCO in charge of the same portfolio was occupying.

Probably, due to Mr Tan is also a senior public servant and I, both known to YB, we were received in quite a friendly manner and appropriate hospitality by YB Chow who greeted us and invited us to be seated in the comfortable sofa settee, leather made. We did not mince matter, knowing YB was a busy man having very tight schedule, and the old lady was still awaiting outside for her problem to be solved.

Mr Tan unzip his briefcase and immediately laid his thick file of documents on the chest to commence discussion on his problem.

It was virtually a small problem. Mr Tan was trying to help his elder sister, a PR voter having domicile at Sg. Ara. She had recently obtained an approval for the extension of her double storey terrace house, extending the back portion of her house to include two extra rooms on the lst floor and a kitchen on the ground floor level. Approval plan had also been granted by the Council's Architect.

The extension works had been done and completed according to the approved building plan except the inclusion of two nos. louvered windows which according to Mr Tan trying to explain to YB Chow, they were for the benefits of better aeration and natural day lighting, since one of the two rooms was spared as a reading room for the children. It was nothing near to a serious offense indeed.

The root of the problem came from a complaint from the adjacent neighbor who had filed a complaint through a political party claiming demolition of the already made available new and single panel window. The said complainant claimed that their privacy had been infringed! He accused that Mr Tan's nephew could be a peeping tom through the window into his daughters' bedroom area beside. A very ridiculous sort of complaint he's telling the MPPP officers that his daughters are those nature lovers who like to stay nuddy when anytime they are in the bedroom with their windows wide opened, and sun bathed?!

The Building Inspector of MPPP also took the complaint so seriously that they had issued not less than 3 contradicting summons to Mr.Tan's sister to, first - instructed her to demolish the whole structure of the extended building!

Immediately before any action the Council could take, they realized a blunder and amended the summon to instead instruct the Tan sister to demolish the windows, which was the second summon which in stated!

The third summon came in a form of official letter from the Building Department on the early of August, and this time, she was asked to cover up the openings where there have the glass louvers as the substitutes to party wall! Weird enough as long as I am concerned!

Having explained all those topsy-turvy and very much went awry procedures of serving the summons to the alleged offender, the sister, it was Mr Tan who took the courtesy to indicate to YB Chow the clauses of Building Acts to support his claim of right to his property or the sister's property.

We were both caught into an unexpected puzzle, when YB Chow lost his coolness and broke his all along suave and urbane demeanour, throwing out his statement which I was more than amazed and bewitched it did not befit to be from the mouth of utterance spewed from such a senior ranking Executive Officer of the State, let alone he's the governing Party DAP's state supremo!

"Do you expect me, Mr Tan, being an EXCO, to take care of this paltry problem of a window of your building? And moreover, I am a non technical man knowing nothing the head and tail of all those you complained! I think you have come to the wrong place to complain and I will suggest you deal with the YDP of MPPP!"

Puzzling not?!

And my bewilderment - if such petty issue he considered and he could not even help to settle, what else can an EXCO does? And how about Kg Buah Pala, would it be a bigger issue for him to choose to settle ahead of all these trivial issues they might be nuisance in his golden plated diary!

My end note comment is - Being an EXCO from the proponent of the CAT governance, if he could not prove that he's pious to his pledged Party tag-line, he could have at least behave more relevant to reflect his tallness as an EXCO who is there to serve the rakyat, more so we were also the voters supporting his Party DAP,during 308!

What's so great with an EXCO? When he had forgotten, perhaps, the water could float a boat, can also sink it anytime!

It's still clear in my memory, the political Secretary to the CM had once accused the bureaucratic 'Little Napoleons' who had encountered and blame them caused as obstacles to the revamp of MPPP efficiency, his efforts had been undermined! Have they not now become more of the big brothers of the Little Napoleons whom they were most hatred and cursed by the Penangites, at large!

Before they learn to be a better and rakyat friendly State Government, they have become swollen headed CAT, and not that, the black or white cat which can catch the rats?!

After this incidence, I promise myself, so does Mr Tan, we will reconsider our votes to whom else come the next GE. Last GE, 308, in my area, my family votes all went to vote YB Yeoh, a lawyer by profession, he is from DAP. And ever since he was voted in, he had been an idol for worship and a 'sleeping beauty'. By opportunity, only we can see him in the functions thrown by the temples and his best contribution to the community in my area was at best, and so far - lips service!

I begin to regret!