Ratepayers may use MPSJ stadium, minus jogging tracks

Ratepayers will still be barred from using the high-specs jogging tracks for fear of damage. HY Thum of USJ9 points out it's commercial users and council staff who are the culprits. He invites ADUN Lee to inspect the holes appearing on the tracks...
Posted on 12.10pm Oct 06, 2000

By usjXpress Team
Email: edteam@usj.com.my


After numerous refusals by the municipal council, ratepayers in Subang Jaya may finally get to jog at the MPSJ stadium in USJ5.

However, joggers will still be barred from using the high-specifications jogging tracks at the stadium.

Subang Jaya state assemblyman Datuk Lee Hwa Beng (hwabeng@pc.jaring.my) indicated this new development in his email reply October 4 to Thum Hoong Yip (hy.thum@jsapj.com.my), chairman of USJ9 Neighbourhood Watch.

Lee said he has discussed the matter with council president Ahmad Fuad Ismail (fuad@mpsj.gov.my) and MPSJ’s head of social development, Muhammad Zaki Yusoff
(mzaki@mpsj.gov.my) last week.

He said the council president had agreed to open up the stadium during morning hours for the joggers, possibly from 6.30 to 8.00am.

According to Lee, the YDP has instructed Zaki to come up with guidelines and inform the public accordingly.

Lee, who is also a MPSJ councillor, has promised to follow up on the matter.


DAMAGE

Earlier, MPSJ was not in favour of opening the jogging track to the public for fear of people causing damage to the high-specifications tracks.

The municipal council was also concerned about potential disturbance to MPSJ during weekdays.

“I am in favour that the field should be opened for public use as it comes from ratepayers' monies,” Lee said.

“Since I have also received many requests from the public, I will suggest to MPSJ to open the stadium during weekdays from 6.30am to 8.00am.”

“This will avoid causing disturbance to the municipal council during weekdays,” he said.

The stadium is currently open every Sunday.

“But, MPSJ will put up a big notice saying that no jogging is allowed on the track. I am very sure all joggers will abide by it,” he said.

On the issue of damage caused to tracks and field at the stadium, Lee disagreed with Thum’s feedback that damage was mainly caused by commercial users.

“If that’s the case, what about the mooncake festival organised by me? Who benefit?” he asked.


RATEPAYERS

Thum, an avid jogger, said MPSJ had allowed his fellow joggers to use the jogging tracks at the stadium every morning for the last two months.

They were, however, barred from using the facilities since early October for the reason that joggers “might damage the track”.

“Apparently, this directive from a MPSJ personnel has put a strict off-limit restriction to the non-commercial users who did not book and pay for the padang,” he said.

“The real culprits who can do damage to the track and field is none other than MPSJ personnel themselves who continuously install and dismantle the make-shift stages for performance,” he said.

He said there have been instances where MPSJ workers carelessly put stage equipment, metal structures and hockey goal posts on the running track.

“But in the end, it’s us genuine people who just want to sweat it out that get the blame,” he said.

“By denying the non-commercial users like us, is MPSJ trying to make the stadium facilities an exclusive club for the MPSJ staff and those who pay for their commercial use?”

He said if damage to the track was really the main concern, then MPSJ could easily put up a signboard telling users to wear proper footwear.

“They should not just stop people from using the tracks,” he said.

On the issue of damage being caused to the tracks, Thum offered to show Lee the spots where little holes had appeared.

”We want him to convince himself that those holes were not caused by the joggers’ footprint,” he said.

He urged Lee to assist getting the stadium and jogging tracks open to the public as soon as possible.

“Otherwise, please let us have the contact numbers of the Selangor Menteri Besar, Exco in charge of the local government and Datuk Mokthar Dahlan so that we can set up a lobby team at SUK Shah Alam to get the point across.”


SLOW RESPONSE

Thum said after the ban, the residents had approached Muhammad Zaki, MPSJ’s head of social development to re-open the tracks to the joggers.

According to him, Zaki had told the residents that a committee would discuss the requests, and a decision could only be made by the end of October at the earliest.

“Judging from his verbal response, it would not be surprising if our requests were not given prompt attention,” he said.

”We had past experience with MPSJ on the repair of USJ 9 playground,” he said.

“Despite repeated assurance that repair work would be taken, nothing has been done since we first brought the matter up in September last year, even with Datuk Lee’s personal assistance,” he said.


USEFUL CONTACTS

Ahmad Fuad Ismail Tel: 7376576
Muhammad Zaki Yusoff Tel: 7311616 ext 235 or 019-353 7511 235
Datuk Lee Hwa Beng Tel: 012-2203600

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