Hello, is anybody there? - Star Metro Perak

2 September 2017

RATEPAYERS are taking the Ipoh City Council to task over the ineffectiveness of its e-Aduan and complaints hotline on WhatsApp, saying that there is no point in creating such channels of communication if the council does not look into the complaints.

Lecturer Mark Chow said he and his wife have over the past six months lodged three complaints via e-Aduan about two stray dogs, which the say are posing a danger to those living along Lapangan Kinara 3 in Panorama Lapangan Kinara.

The answers or updates given by the council, Chow revealed, were not only copied and pasted but were also misleading.

“First they answered that they had forwarded our complaints to the Veterinary Services Department as the council is apparently no longer allowed to tranquillise stray dogs. A check with the department showed that the council had not forwarded any of our complaints to them.

“Then in a later update, the council claimed that two dogs had been captured. As far as I can see, the two strays, which have been terrorising my children and visitors, are still outside my house,” he said.

According to Chow, another complaint that he lodged via the council’s e-Aduan system on its website regarding the indiscriminate dumping of construction waste behind his house on July 7 and subsequently on Aug 18 has not been resolved to this day.

“The e-Aduan feature on the council’s portal is clearly for show only,” he added.

A businessman, who only wanted to be known as Puru, concurred that it takes forever for the council to look into complaints lodged by ratepayers via e-Aduan.

“They’re very slow to take action. You need to follow up personally with the relevant departments within the council after lodging a complaint but more often than not, you’ll be given the run around.

“First of, the telephone operator is unsure what comes under which department.

“When you finally reach the right department, you’ll be told to leave a message or to call back because the officers are not at their desks.

“Even if you manage to get them, all they do is promise they will go to check the issue, which of course does not happen, although there are one or two good ones,” he said, adding that as civil servants, the officers should give out their phone numbers to ratepayers for ease of communication.

In a similar vein, he said officers who work on the ground should be provided with official contact numbers.

Puru also suggested that council officers call complainants for verification and further details about their grouses.

“They should be calling us instead of us calling them.

“Worst of all, I’ve been scolded by one of their staff via messaging for always complaining. The person’s excuse for not responding is that there are a lot of complaints but not enough manpower.

“Well, that’s in internal issue and has nothing to do with the public. Ratepayers pay the council to get the job done.

“They complain not for fun, but because the job is not done,” he said.

Puru said ratepayers would be better off if they voiced their grievances at the complaints counter at the council building itself, adding that the personnel stationed there are courteous and helpful.

“I’m sure the mayor and council will say in their own defence that they are receiving fewer complaints now compared to with the past.

“The truth is, people have given up on complaining. It’s not because there are less complaints.

“They’re fed up and don’t see a point in doing so anymore because nothing gets done,” he claimed.

Puru went on to suggest that the council privatise the functions of some of its departments.

“Those dealing with drainage and roadworks clearly have no idea what they are doing. Thousands, even millions of ringgit are being spent on drains that don’t flow and our roads are terrible.

“The Health Department is also not doing its job with so many dirty and unhygienic food stalls still operating without action being taken against them,” he added.

Ipoh City Watch President Dr Richard Ng also has his share of bad experiences with the council’s WhatsApp hotline.

“I was made aware it is the council’s Information Technology Department that manages the hotline as well as the e-Aduan service, which should not be the case.

“All complaints, whether through email, mobile phone or WhatsApp, should be handled by the complaints counter and not IT people. They need to centralise all feedback to the front desk,” said Ng, who sang praises of the staff at the front counter.

Noting that only courteous staff should be placed in charge of handling complaints and feedback, Ng said the council’s IT staff, whom he had come across, were most unfriendly.

“Today, I received a standard reply to a complaint I lodged via the hotline. Again, it was a standard reply asking for full address and complete details of my complaint. Eventually, I was redirected to another phone line.

“So, what’s the point of having a hotline then?

“The person I encountered was downright curt and appeared to have not bothered to even read my messages.

“I’ve already provided photographs and the location of my complaint, which I feel is sufficient information for the council to act upon. They can’t possibly expect me to give them a full address,” he said.

Ng added that it was time that the mayor and the council’s top management were made aware of the problem.

“The mayor and the council must take corrective measures and improve if they want to keep the Ipoh City Council’s position as best local council in the country.

“A key performance index, in terms of number of complaints received, number of cases where action has been taken, and number of unresolved cases, has to be set for staff handling complaints.

“There should also be more options for the public to channel their complaints and feedback. Right now, ratepayers are not allowed to lodge complaints through email.

“In fact, the council should reward those providing feedback, especially non-governmental organisations and concerned members of the public,” Ng suggested.

When interviewed at a press conference on Aug 25, Ipoh Datuk Bandar Datuk Zamri Man said there were some “technical issues” with its online and hotline system.

“We are aware of the complaints from the public about the systems. We are in the midst of resolving them,” he said.

“We will also ensure that all the complaints made through our systems will be looked into and acted on,” he added.

Zamri said the city council received an average of between 1,000 and 1,300 complaints per month.

“And as of August, we have now received about 13,000 complaints through our online and hotline systems.

“We have also resolved about 85% of the complaints,” he said, adding that among the complaints included issues pertaining to illegal dumpsites, clogged drains and stray dogs.

“Issues that we can resolve immediately have been attended to. There are still some issues that require more time,” he added.

http://www.thestar.com.my/metro/community/2017/09/02/hello-is-anybody-there-complaints-about-complaints-hotline-and-online-system-emerge/

Making An Online Complaint - Ipoh Echo

April 16, 2015 By Wong Mei Kuan

Ipoh City Council has introduced the e-Aduan system from the year 2009 for the convenience of city-dwellers in lodging their complaints. A media briefing on this online system was held at Pakeeza Restaurant, Ipoh recently to enlighten Ipohites on how the e-Aduan system works and how the Council monitors the complaints.

In his speech, Mayor Dato’ Harun Rawi recalled how people were hesitant to lodge their complaints before the introduction of the online system, as it would require them to be at the council physically or go through the process of writing a letter.

When using the e-Aduan system (http://aduan.mbi.gov.my), complainants are advised to submit a detailed complaint giving the exact location and allowing one week of processing time. All complaints received would be monitored during working hours and channelled to the respective departments and agencies for remedial actions.

During the briefing, the council’s principal assistant director of corporate affairs, Normala Latiff reminded users of the e-Aduan system to keep their reference number in order to check the status of their complaints later by keying it into the system.

Besides the e-Aduan online system, other avenues available for Ipohites include the Council’s hotline 255 1515 (8am-5pm), email aduan@mbi.gov.my, MySMS 15888 (type MBIAduanAduan) and WhatsApp 019 550 3083. Incomplete complaints will be rejected.

Normala advised the public not to send the same complaint via all the channels, as this would cause unnecessary delay.

Residents find it a challenge to get Ipoh City Council to complete tasks - The Star

MANY Ipoh folk, especially the elderly and less educated, have no way of getting through to the Ipoh City Council when faced with problems such as overgrown grass, potholes, clogged drains and illegal dumpsites.

While a handful are unaware that they can relate their problems via the council’s hotline at 05-255 1515 or in person at customer service counters located at the lobby of the council headquarters, most are apprehensive about doing so for various reasons.

Retired machinery supervisor Choong See Kheong, 65, said he would rather resolve a problem on his own rather than lodge a complaint with the council.

“I would rather do the job myself than risk getting a tongue-lashing from the council staff or have them belittle me because I do not speak Bahasa Malaysia,” said the Taman Wah Keong resident.

Choong said he would wait patiently for the council’s workers or contractors to show up on their own, even if it meant waiting for months.

“If I can’t tolerate the problem, then I do it myself.

“For example, the contractor tasked with cutting grass at my residential area does a real shoddy job.

“Its workers would leave parts of the grass uncut and do not bother to clean up before they leave.

“And so, I clean up the mess myself,” he said.

According to Choong, many of his neighbours or friends would seek help from their state assemblymen to get a problem resolved.

“They get the assemblymen to speak on their behalf or highlight the problem in the media so as to pressure the council to act,” he added.

College student Maira Hani, 21, said complaints to the council mostly fell on deaf ears.

“I think most complainants have to keep calling or to write letters but even when they do, their problems don’t get resolved.

“It could be that the council is inundated with too many complaints. If so, then it should come up with a better procedure to get things done.

“Perhaps, the council should also let people know that their complaints are being looked into.

“If you give people the reassurance that their problems or opinion are important and that it is being addressed, then they will not mind waiting a bit longer,” she suggested.

Having listened to the constant woes of not just his constituents but those from other areas about them not being able to contact council officers or councillors, Bercham assemblyman Cheong Chee Khing developed a mobile phone application to enable his constituents to file their complaints whereby a posting would automatically be uploaded onto his Facebook page.

At the same time, the Better Bercham App, made available to Android phone users on Jan 14 and subsequently to iPhone users this month, would also send an email of the complaint to the council almost immediately.

“The app also allows complainants to send the global positioning of the particular spot or place they wish something to be done.

“This way, there is no way for the council not to act on any complaints because everything is done in a transparent manner,” he said.

To date, a total of 201 complaints and feedback has been forwarded to the council via the mobile application.

“Problems in Bercham are being solved at a faster rate with the app,” added Cheong, whose constituency is made up of over 80 housing areas and counting.

And then, there are complaints about the working attitude of council workers and staff.

Businesswoman L.Y. Kok said she once called the council about some overgrown trees along the road in front of her house in Tambun.

“There was no response for about a month and I called again, only to be told by the person who took my complaint that the relevant department had been informed about the matter.

“About a week later, I saw the tree in front of my house already cut.

“They did not cut down the other overgrown trees in the vicinity.

“They had only cut down the one in front of my house because I had lodged the complaint,” she said.

Kok added that council workers and other government authorities should have the initiative and good work ethics.

“They are acting more like robots and machinery than humans with the capacity to think.

“There was another occasion at a relative’s house in Bercham when several neighbours became concerned about a tree, which caught fire.

“Also of concern were the overgrown trees at the playground which could also catch fire if lightning struck. They called the council to have the trees pruned.

“The reply we got from the council was that it could only be done if we got all the residents to sign a petition and then hand it in,” she added.

Such regulations, Kok added, were illogical, especially when ratepayers paid an annual assessment while it was the council’s job to upkeep the city.

Housewife Ong Bee Lian said it was quite annoying to see an entire group of council workers assigned to clean up a particular area but only one or two actually doing work.

“The others would be sitting around doing nothing or chatting. How do they ever expect to get things done with such an attitude?

“And it is not like they would put in extra hours to get the job done. They just disappear as soon as their transport comes to pick them up or when their working hours are up, leaving their job undone.

“We have to wait a few weeks or months for them to come by again to ‘work’,” she said.

Ong added that it had also come to a point where council workers would only carry out a certain task such as cut grass but not throw away the grass because it is not their duty to get rid of garden refuse.

“They simply leave bags of grass in black plastic bags by the roadside, which eventually becomes an illegal dumpsite.

“And then, we have to complain to the council to clear the rubbish.

“There are also road sweepers who conveniently dump rubbish from the roads into drains, clogging them up.

“This kind of work culture is simply illogical,” she said.

Perak politicians share common disinterest in environment - Malaysiakini

July 24, 2009

Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) in Perak are asking Perakians to only vote for politicians who are environmentally conscious.

Spearheaded by the Perak Environment Association (PEA), the move hopes to create environment protection awareness in the state by backing politicians who cared for the environment and took the issue seriously.

PEA president Abdul Rahman Said Alli told Malaysiakini today that the state authority in Perak is deteriorating with politicians ignoring the environmental aspects of because they are too busy lobbying for positions and political clout.

"The forest reserve area in the state is dwindling fast and adversely affecting the environment as a whole and politicians are not bothered about arresting this problem," Rahman lamented.

In line with these objectives, a two-day seminar was held in Ipoh by the Open University of Malaysia.

Shunned by BN and Pakatan

The seminar was attended by seven NGOs comprising the Malaysian Nature Society, World Wildlife Foundation (WWF), Fomca, Ipoh City Watch, KARS Society (watchdog group on limestone operations in the state), Selangor Environmental Society and PEA.

The main objective of this seminar, according to Rahman, was to educate the state politicians on the importance of preserving the environment and to get their support to highlight the problem both at the state assembly and in Parliament.

'But, sad to say the objective of the seminar was not reached as only a handful of the invited politicians turned up for the seminar. We have written to both the federal and state leaders of BN and Pakatan protesting the lukewarm attitude of their political representatives," Rahman stated.

"So, as a reactive measure, we are going to monitor all state politicians and urge the voters to support and vote for those who support the environment in the next state and general elections," he added.

MB: Centre is for all - Star

July 18, 2009

THE Perak Barisan Nasional Public Services and Com-plaints Centre was set up to help and serve the people regardless of their race or political leanings.

Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Dr Zambry Abd Kadir, who officially opened the centre in Ipoh yesterday, said the public should not hesitate to seek help there.

”This is a place for all. It is not necessarily for Barisan or its supporters but for all the rakyat including those who do not support us.

“We do not discriminate against those who come to get help,” he said at the centre’s opening ceremony recently.

Dr Zambry said that since its opening a month ago, the centre had handled 28 cases ranging from those seeking donations for health or medical problems to complaints on flood and rubbish problems.

”The centre takes all complaints seriously and the assemblymen will do their best to solve them,” he said, adding that the centre had resolved six cases to date.

He later handed out donations collected from the public to housewife Lew Chew Chuan who is the mother of three-year-old heart patient Lim Wei Jin, cancer patient Choi Choi Yok, 39, and the family of Lam Siew Kang, who needs funds to remove her cataract.

Perak Barisan information chief Datuk Hamdi Abu Bakar is adviser to the centre while its chairman is former Tronoh assemblyman Datuk Lee Kon Yin.

The centre located at 17B, Jalan Seenivasagam, 30450 Ipoh, Perak, is open from 9am to 5pm daily.

To seek help, call 05-2554916 or fax enquiries to 05-2544 916.

Sound sleep with flood woes solved - Star

Jul 11, 2009 By IVAN LOH

FLASH floods plaguing Taman Cherry and Taman Idris in Ipoh for almost 20 years are now a thing of the past.

Taman Cherry Rukun Tetangga secretary Lucus Asirvatham said a new drainage system, which was completed last year, had been successfully diverting rainwater to a nearby water retention pond.

“The drains have been made deeper to accommodate a heavier flow of rainwater,” he said.

“All the clogged drains have also been cleared and water is flowing smoothly to the retention pond.

“So far, there have been no flash floods reported in these areas and the residents can finally sleep soundly now,” he said after a meeting with Ipoh City councillor Datuk Daniel Tay on Tuesday.

On another matter, Lucus said there was a need for a speed bump on Jalan Tun Abdul Razak, in front of Taj Kolej, to prevent motorists from speeding.

He said the curve along the road near the state Customs headquarters was prone to accident and he urged the city council to consider their request.

Lucus said a letter requesting for the construction of the bumper had been handed over to Zone Eight (Tembok, Taman Cherry and Taman Lim) area officer Azman Toha.

Meanwhile, Tay said residents in Zone Eight who wanted to lodge complaints to the city council could now call Azman directly.

Tay said it was easier to go directly to the area officer rather than to call up the city council hotline or general line.

Azman can be contacted at 019-5708995.