What 5 days of not checking your SMS means to 130 others

Picture from weechookeong.blogspot.com

An enforcement officer of the City Hall of Kuala Lumpur (Dewan Bandaraya Kuala Lumpur) claimed that he could not check his SMS for five days, and proceeded to demolish 7 corner lots in the vicinity of Wangsa Maju section 2, based on an demolition order issued by the office of Town Planning DBKL. The action was to have taken place on 21st of May 2008. However, on being informed of the threatened action by a hawker in that area, Member of Parliament for Wangsa Maju proceeded to contact the office of the Town Planning department and he received the assurance by the Deputy Director of Town Planning DBKL that the action will be stayed for 14 days in order for the MP to provide alternative solutions.
The hawker when informing YB Wee Choo Keong also added that the local MCA office had warned the hawkers not to relay the demolition notice to the incumbent MP (this information was obtained from YB Wee Choo Keongs weblog). Given the assurance that there would be a stay of demolition, YB Wee then proceeded to meet the hawkers. However, on the morning of the 21st of May, the enforcement unit of DBKL proceeded with the demolition. The officer attending to the demolition had even not bothered to identify himself, proceeding to remove his identification tag when he was on site. Despite YB Wee's protest, the demolition continued.
Today, YB Wee and those affected by the demolition gathered at the HQ of DBKL to voiced their dissaitisfaction as well to hand over a memorandum of protest to the Mayor of KL.
YB Wee also added in his interview with TV3 that the result of the intervention of DBKL, and the mere mention of the action was because the hawkers had supported the PKR candidate instead of MCA was clear indication that DBKL was also playing politics. He also cited the high handed ways of the officers in charge of the operation as well as the failure to wear indentification tags as means to indiscriminately perform their duties. YB Wee then reiterated his point that the Mayor needs to be voted by the rakyat in order for him to perform his duties without fear or favour.
Myblog-TV went to the area in question, section 2 of Wangsa Maju and also recorded illegal hawkers still operating in the vicinity, some, 10 metres away from the affected hawkers. Speaking to bystanders in the area, they expressed concern that instead ofa balnket action, it seemed like a selective enforcement of sorts by DBKL.
What is clear is that these hawkers have been operating for more than 20 years, and have well established themselves despite some being illegal. Some of the hawkers claimed that they even had licenses issued to them by DBKL. They also highlighted that they have in the past brought this matter up to the previous member of Parliament, and had engaged DBKL in a roundtable discussion. YB Wee had also claimed that he had in his possession documents that proofed such a meeting did exist.
Evidently, the action by DBKL seemed to have proven the opposite. We can only emphatise with the 130 hawkers and their family and hope that DBKL can carry out their actions without favour.

YewTube has its video report here.
YB Wee Choo Keong has his story here , here and here.