Its gonna look so fugly
Source: Janus’s Blog
God, people in Malaysia are so paranoid these days.
If its not safety, its H1N1.
They’re planning going to fence up my housing area. Its gonna look so fugly. Like a prison or something. The one thing I really loved when I moved into this area three years ago was the joyful freedom of space around the houses. Now? Alright you install the CCTVs (not convinced that actually helps), you buffed the guard house (which I totally welcome), and now you add the fencing and you actually stop non-residents at the guard house and disallow them from entering the park? Hello, you do not OWN the area. You can’t disallow people from entering just like that. You can’t do that. Can’t you give them a visitor pass or something? While there’s parking space conveniently set next to the park, visitors must now park their car outside the residential area then only walk to the park.
I’m talking about my glorious, Alissia & Atilia Residents Association, Ara Damansara. To be frank, strengthening security is good, but I’m afraid its being overdone at the moment. Its becoming a semi-prison, filled with air of doubt and anxiety. Most importantly, there’s a sheer wind of paranoia intoxicating the area that is my home.
And its not only this case, I’m sure there are many other areas doing the same thing, doing all these stuff in order to ‘buff up security’.
Well then, let me ask one thing. What on earth are the police doing? Aren’t they supposed to protect the peace and ensure the security of our citizens? Why are we spending lots of money to our RAs to build fences, hire guards, whatever? I think this is one of the reasons why people don’t like to pay taxes. Think about it.
As for H1N1, that’s debatable but I do think there’s a fair amount of overreacting to the media reporting death and infected cases daily. Encouraging people to stay in their houses, etc. On the bright side, it might help with the traffic.
Malaysia, is there a cure for this disease?
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I can’t believe there are still people so ignorant about safety and precautions. Please wake up and look around you. Look at the increasing amount of crime rates. Police & guards have always been around but you don’t expect them to be able to combat crime on their own? If yes, there wouldn’t be so much crime all over the world. We also have our own responsibility to make our place a safe place to stay. Wouldn’t it be too late to start regretting that no actions were taken earlier if something bad were to happened to anyone of us?
The environment now is so different from decades ago…we can’t have our kids running freely on the road, to the park, take public bus, etc. We always need to be on the cautious mode as the people we are living with now are capable of anything! We are now living in the future and not the past and thus we can’t just rely on the police to do everything. We have our own duty as well to help out!
I think the fencing around our neighbourood is a brilliant idea! And I believe many of the other residents felt the same way too. we should do whatever in our capacity to protect our loved ones and ourselves. The police, guards, fencing are all just additional steps to make our home a safe neighbourhood to live in.
Bravo to the RAs of Alissia & Atilia! You’ve done a great job and keep it up!
Let’s just accept the fact that everyone is entitled to his/her opinions.
I see nothing wrong with the comments made in the original article. The writer’s main issue is paranoia.
Ivana,
Let’s not respond to such article in future (no constructive feedback, suggestions but shoot shoot shoot). Those who put up these sort of articles are those that are not paying for the fencing but having a cheap ride. And we know that there are only a handful of them. You can be sure that no matter what the RA does it will be deemed wrong. It is not a matter of cost or right or wrong. They are just different. From many RAs experience, those who do not pay for maintenance/fencing will not pay no matter how cheap it is nor will they accept any alternatives. However there will be lots of criticism for every single thing. You do not have to entertain them as they find thrill finding faults. They will even import complaints from other RAs(recently Taman Tun) and put it into Ara Damansara forum. I am not surprised that it is the same person or group. These group an also hide behind the name ‘moderator’.
Let’s just be happy that Alissia/Atilia RA has the support of the majority and the RA committee members is as dedicated as ever. And let’s celebrate that this RA stand firm to ensure the wish of the majority came true.
I hope the majority species will not respond to such article in future.
Forum Admin’s comments: We, as moderators, import any articles which we feel is of interest to our readers. If there are any articles you feel should NOT be posted here, you are more than welcome to comment in the article itself and if your concerns are justified, then the article will be amended or removed.
Please do not tar-brush all non-paying residents as “free loaders”, they may have other reasons for not paying.
Thank you.
Don’t blame them (and us) to be paranoid. Drive around PJ and you see barricades blocking off access to backlanes and other exits leaving one or two with 24 hours guards. Crimes is so rampant these days that these drastic measures need to be taken. In the previous neighbourhood that I stayed in, a resident was robbed in broad daylight while walking a few metres away from her house to buy some grocery from the peddler. My neighbour was tailed on her way home around 9pm and was car-jacked directly in front of her house. My son’s friend was slashed and his wrist almost severed while walking along a road in a neighbourhood. They wanted his handphone. I am sure many of us have similiar stories to share.
leeyk,
Yes, everyone has stories to share. There are even stories of crimes within a gated community either done by the security guards themselves or worse, residents who actually rent a house within the gated zone and carry on their illegal activities using that rented house as their base.
There are even stories of fire engines being unable to gain access to a particular house because all entry points have been closed and the fire engine was unable to locate the main entry point in time.
Fact is, the article itself has its point about Malaysians being paranoid.
Kinda agree with Janus…SP signed was without guards and fences etc etc etc. If I wanted guards, guard house etc etc I would have opt for a gated community for a home. Majority formed RA and implemented for the good of community – this i will go with. To denied access or to implement rules to prohibit access to me and my guest..is a no-no. Kinda I do not smoke…but majority wants to in the room…so I am made to breath 2nd hand smoke…(i know it’s different but the framework is similar)
It’s just a matter time before things get heated up and cops remove those barricades, stern warning to guards not to stop/deny access etc etc ala TTDI style kinda thing. I believe the structures are built on gazetted roads…hence without the authorities permission or even a TOL…these obstructions are deem illegal from the eyes of the law – it just that it’s done for the good of the community and for the public votes – the authorities turn a blind eye.
This kinda things only happens in boleh land…:( If you don’t like what’s happening, get out – but I am too poor to get out..so I gotta suck it up!!!!
critter2,
In the TTDI case, did the cops intervene as you so mentioned? I can’t recall this being mentioned in the press.
Why does Janus think the danger of crime around us now is not real. Why do most people think it is real if it is not. Have we gone out of the way ? Arent the rest not suffering too from having to compromise on the luxury of space, freedom to move, they too are entitled to? In almost all developed places in Asia like Japan, HK, Taiwan, Singapore, serious crime rarely hit unsuspecting men or women. You must be surprised to hear the like of even HK and Taiwan. Trust me I know these places well and Malaysia pales. I dont mean we cannot get better, I am heartened the authority seems more alert now than before, but the sad fact is horrible, random crimes which hit anyone like you and I still routinely happen. I am really shocked by the view of Janus and friends, what are your priorities in life. Is this Western thinking which put freedom above everything including safety even amidst genuinie threat.
Dr SG Tan
I think the cops did intervene but a compromise was reached..eg free access to all, no policing or asking questions when “visitors” need “access”, no writing down of ic/driving license etc etc.
Freedom is important, safely is important too, but we need to strike a balance in implementation for the both parties concerned. We do not need to paint everything with the broadest and biggest brush possible.
Different people different strokes, therefore values in individuals are different and that’s what make us different. IMHO….you are free to do anything you desire as long as you do not infringe on my rights – but hey, in boleh land, anything goes, as i said earlier – If you don’t like what’s happening, get out – but I am too poor to get out..so I gotta suck it up!!!!
Hello Moderator,
Can you take out this posting from this forum? The title
itself sounds so provocative and uncivilised (fulgy is not found in English Dictionary but common sense will tell you what the writer intended to say). I am ashamed that
this is allowed to pe posted.
Secondly, why are things that are affecting TTDI be posted in Ara Damansara Forum? Why? Sounds like you want to pursue your own agenda. From the sound of it (from the begining till now), you are not very supportive of RAs having their own security arrangement.
Ya ya, go ahead and deny and defend.
i see nothing wrong with “importing” other RAs’ issues (be it in a positive or negative light). If we can gain “virtue experience” through reading – why not?
OK, so fulgy is a vulgarity….just edit the word out..simply as that.
and a fair note – EVERYONE GOT AN AGENDA PERIOD
as i said earlier – If you don’t like what’s happening, get out – but I am too poor to get out..so I gotta suck it up!!!!
We will put up articles that may not be Ara Damansara specifics if they are of relevance to the residents here. There is no taking sides and we have no intentions to curb free speech in this forum. Everyone is allowed to express one’s opinions on the conditions that you do not cross the boundary. Enough has been said what the limits are so we won’t repeat it here. So mind your language when you write and please do not provoke.
Expected reply. I could smell rat from miles away.
Braveheart..may i enquire to as why you are so provocative? Apologies for being such a busy body if my query offends you.
I guess the moderator would not mind you putting your thoughts on this forum as they (the moderators) have no intentions “to curb free speech” as long as we mind our language and not be provocative.
As most of these articles are either posted or initiated by me I feel a sense of responsibility. I do not hide behind a pseudonym. Articles are posted either as HN or Hannah Ng.
All articles have been posted as they have/should have a relevance/interest to the GENERAL Ara Damansara community. ‘Importing’ news about other communities serves only to enlighten our own community on the issues discussed. Hopefully we learn from their mistakes and don’t make the same ones.
There is no intent to support, oppose or provoke any one group in particular. There is no agenda except to enlighten and show that there are ALWAYS 2 sides to a coin and 2 sides to any argument.
I wish to re-emphasise that the purpose of this site is to keep residents informed about happenings in AD and to form a common platform for residents so that they can be united in one objective, which should be to create a harmonious place for people to live in and families to grow up.
The comments/forums are for residents to state their opinions for or against the topic in discussion. It is about discussion – so that those who are not certain about the topic in discussion can get a clear picture.
If you feel strongly about something and wish to comment about it, please do so. But do remember : rudeness, vulgarity or provocation will only reduce the reader’s perception of the writer’s opinions and therefore nullify his/her own written words.
Hannah,
Your postings are appreciated and relevant to the Ara Damansara community, especially with the recent trend in self-gating as seen in certain phases. So keep it up and thank you for the effort.
Looking back into the past, when I was young, our main door were always opened. There were no grills at the windows, no grills at the main door, and honestly I have never seen a padlock in our house. I don’t need to carry any keys with me when I go out.
Coming back into the present, now we installed grills all over our house. I am amazed to see that even the most highest window which is high up in the attic meant to allow sunlight and air into our 2nd floor living area were not spared. If we count, I bet we could easily find almost a dozen padlocks in our house. Not to forget the alarms that we installed in our house.
And they say you cant leave home without your credit cards but actually you cant leave home without your house keys.
So folks, I wont worry about those fencing as they are nothing compared to what we have installed at our own houses.
For those who wish to have more freedom, I would suggest you start to beautify your homes by removing all those ugly grills, throw all the padlocks away and remove the alarm system. Please feel free to un-imprison yourself and your family. Your houses with all the doors and windows shut and grilled installed is the real prison. Please take note that this last paragraph is only meant for people who believes that enjoying freedom is more important than safety.
I do know some homes in Ara Damansara that do not have grills but have other ways of keeping the pesky thieves away, e.g. very fancy alarms with perimeter monitoring, CCTVs that DO record, shatterproof glass, etc.
Ara is a nice place without all the kiasus who bought their homes here, and then converting their area to gated. Sad to say, Atilia and Alissia area look like South Bronx in New York. The place look cold and distant from other areas in Ara Damansara which looks more friendly and warm.
What were the RAs thinking? Why do the residents livein fear all the time, and fencing up Atilia and Alissia is the first step to living in fear of your own shadows. RA’s public from using the parking lots in these areas, ppl have to register?? I think even if the guards are sleeping, they will know who are criminals and who are not. Can’t you RA of Alissia and Atilia use some judgement when it comes to allowing who can use the public car parks and who can’t? Members of RAs in other areas should be allowed to go in without registering, but of course, RAs of Atilia and Alissia just have to be mean.
It’s good you guys install the fencing, you should keep yourselves in your designated areas and not go out to public areas, so that this way you guys won’t irk other Ara residents who are denied access to the public carpark in your area. Keep yourselves in all the time, locked up in your lovely homes and gated area if you are too afraid to face the world.
Living in Malaysia have higher risks of getting mobbed and robbed. Does that mean, drop everything and hide?
GET REAL!
I fully support the initiate taken by the Resident Association of Alissia & Atilia on the fencing project. Kudos to the RA committee on the effort they put in. It is not f-ugly.
Here’s my right to free speech :
I am thankful that nothing untoward has happened to any of us living in A&A.
I am more than happy to pay RM50 every month for peace of mind (my parents, brother and many others pay much more but for lousy service).
I am grateful I haven’t lost a loved one to a burglar/robber/snatchthief/mat rempit – and I can only hope that such things will never happen (If anyone can guarantee that, stand up)
If I’m looking for a new house to stay, it being in a gated and guarded community is a plus factor.
The gates around A&A are there to protect me, not imprison me.
Everybody from outside A&A can freely access the park from the main road fronting the police station.
Nobody is STOPPED from entering A&A – non-residents just need to give their particulars to the guards, which is not as bad compared to some communities that insist on keeping your I/C, driving licence.
Turning a community into gated and guarded has become a norm in our country, as sad as it sounds – so just live with it.
When I go to another community that’s gated and guarded, I’ll just give my particulars – why make a big fuss about it? Will it kill me? I know I’m not the bad guy, but do the guards know?
I yearn for the day when the police will really do their jobs in protecting us, not just looking for the opportunity to squeeze a bribe from out of us.
I admire those like Namewee who dare to speak out to BENEFIT all.
I am grateful to the RA for all their time and effort in making A&A such a safe and peaceful community.
I dislike freeloaders.
PERIOD.
i would done away with the grills at my place had the fences been up when i moved in as i’d rather not live behind bars…literally! So yes, i do like the fencing, not because of the aesthetics but the piece of mind it brings. Sure it may not be a cure all and people still ahev to be careful but i dont think anyone can deny that you feel safer taking a walk around this neighbourhood compared to somewhere like SS2 where a lot of friends of mine stay. Do not feel safe walking around that place at all. And yes we shoudl strike a balance between safety and being plain kiasu but i’d rather we all err on the former than the latter. I’ve stayed in places in D’sara Utama where it’s everyone to himself and trust me, you feel very much like an island without any support.