Stadium reopening a priority for Petaling Jaya
PETALING Jaya, Selangor will soon have an upgraded venue to host football matches, following RM8mil repair and renovation works at Stadium MBPJ (Petaling Jaya City Council stadium) in Kelana Jaya.

Mayor Mohamad Zahri Samingon, 54, said the facility was expected to be ready by the end of May.

Upgrade works started about three years ago and upon completion, the stadium would solely be used for football matches, he said.

Mohamad Zahri believes in staying approachable.Mohamad Zahri added that the facility’s reopening was one of his top priorities this year after being appointed Petaling Jaya mayor.

The sitting capacity, he said, has been reduced to 10,700, from 13,000 previously, for the comfort of visitors.

The upgrade consists of changes to the stadium seating, sound system, public address system (PA system), underground piping and bathroom amenities.

“However, the electric wiring works will continue until the end of the year,” he said.

The stadium, which opened in 1996, has over the years played host to rugby and football matches as well as concerts and election rallies. It also hosted several rugby matches during the 1998 Commonwealth Games.

But over the years, the facility has deteriorated, especially the condition of the field.

Mohamad Zahri said the Raja Muda of Selangor Tengku Amir Shah Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah visited the stadium, accompanied by himself and MBPJ officers, on March 6.

The stadium is the temporary “home” of the Selangor Football Club, following the closure of Shah Alam Stadium for renovations, and will host Selangor FC home matches in the M-League among other tournaments.

“The Raja Muda, who is president of the Selangor Football Association, visited the stadium to see the progress of the renovation work.

“We hope the stadium will be ready by the end of May so that it can once again be used for matches,” said Mohamad Zahri, who served as Selangor deputy secretary (management) prior to his appointment as mayor on Feb 1.

Hands-on mayor

Mohamad Zahri is passionate about going to the ground to understand problems faced by residents in Petaling Jaya, who number over 800,000.

The more-than-30 issues run the gamut of poorly maintained public toilets, parking woes and problems faced in low-cost flats to upgrades of existing MBPJ facilities like the stadium.

“I just wanted to see for myself with my officers how things are going.

“I want to have a better understanding of the situation,” he said in an interview with StarMetro.

Many low-cost housing developments in Petaling Jaya, such as the PKNS flats in Section 17, face issues such as dumping of rubbish, poor maintenance and illegal extensions.

To this end, he practises “santuni rakyat”, a concept of engaging with residents, and aims to prioritise tasks identified as crucial to them.

He has also laid out an ambitious agenda to revitalise the city’s infrastructure and public spaces.

Apart from focusing on completing the MBPJ Stadium renovation, he also wants to improve pedestrian safety and public transport accessibility, upgrade public facilities and ensuring efficient digital transformation, and improving the management of the city’s various services.

Among them is the construction of a walkway for the public to safely get to the Phileo Damansara MRT train station in Section 16.

This, he said, was under the city council’s first and last-mile project initiative.

“At the moment, pedestrians heading to and from the station are at risk as they have to walk along a narrow, heavily trafficked road.

“A proper walkway is important so that pedestrians are safe in the city,” he added.

The mayor recently paid a visit to the Phileo area with Petaling Jaya MP Lee Chean Chung to see for himself the difficulties faced by pedestrians and how best to solve the issue.

A related issue is the poor condition of the city’s bus stops.

To this, Mohamad Zahri said MBPJ had plans to upgrade the stops based on the standardised design provided by the Housing and Local Government Ministry.

But he did not provide a timeline or budget for the upgrade.

During the interview, the mayor touched on several other matters he hoped to address, including the condition of the public toilets at Taman Tasik Pekaka in Section 8.

He said the problem stemmed from lack of maintenance as the developer had not yet surrendered the facility to MBPJ.

He was, however, hopeful that the matter would be resolved once the city council took over the facility.

Pedestrians making their way to the Phileo Damansara MRT station have to share the road with heavy traffic. — Photos: MUHAMAD SHAHRIL ROSLI and CHAN TAK KONG/The Star and courtesy pic

There are numerous low-cost flats in Petaling Jaya plagued by issues such as indiscriminate dumping of rubbish and poorly maintained facilities, which MBPJ has to deal with.

Mohamad Zahri said the PKNS flats in Section 17 was one area requiring urgent attention from the city council.

The flats do not have a joint management body to handle issues that come up, especially related to maintenance.

“The flats have a cleanliness problem as residents tend to dump bulk waste such as old furniture in open spaces.

“Existing rubbish disposal areas are too small and overflowing with waste.

“To resolve this, we plan to carry out a pilot project to expand the rubbish disposal areas.

“When I visited, there were several ground floor units that have been renovated without approval of the city council.

“This too needs to be investigated and addressed properly,” he said.

On complaints about untrimmed trees from residents of Apartment Desa Mentari in Taman Medan, Mohamad Zahri said the city council faced problems in carrying out works due to obstacles posed by parked vehicles.

“MBPJ contractors are not able to bring their vehicles into the affected areas because residents do not remove their cars,” he said.

One of the more pressing concerns among Petaling Jaya residents relates to 5G telecommunications tower installation.

To this, he said the installation process must adhere to MBPJ regulations, adding that residents’ views were taken into consideration.

Whenever there is a dispute, Mohamad Zahri said he turned to the chronology of events from the start of the project.

“By analysing this, we can spot the problem and address it.”

Mohamad Zahri’s other areas of focus include the redevelopment of Pasar Besar Jalan Othman, which is Petaling Jaya’s oldest market, as well as ensuring the city is child-and-senior citizen-friendly.

Mohamad Zahri said the Petaling Jaya Disaster Management Plan and onsite stormwater detention project would be reviewed and improved, as MBPJ wanted the city to be disaster resilient by minimising flash floods and landslides.

In terms of management, he added that the city council would be focusing on digital transformation and improving the parking system, especially in commercial areas and reduce congestion.

This includes expanding the two-hour parking initiative, already in force in PJ New Town, SS21 and parts of Section 14, to other areas of Petaling Jaya.

Staying approachable

With so much on his plate, this Tanjung Karang native will have to rely on all his experience and leadership skills learnt over the years.

He credited his late father, who was village head in Kampung Parit Serong, for shaping his attitude and helping in his approach towards people.

One of the things the mayor wants to focus on is the redevelopment of Pasar Besar Jalan Othman in Petaling Jaya Old Town.

“My dad had a very good temperament. No matter how difficult or challenging the situation, he would always respond calmly when people came to meet him.

“He would never raise his voice and was very good at managing people,” recalled Mohamad Zahri, who is the second of nine children.

“My father was also a gardener at my primary school and would often check to make sure I was paying attention in class.

“He also taught me to say thank you and salam (greet) every teacher in school before each school break.

“It was a form of respect and it builds character,” he added.

It is this ethos that Mohamad Zahri has carried with him through his university days and working life.

He said he was drawn to a life of public service after taking up a temporary teaching job in his hometown after graduating from Universiti Utara Malaysia.

He then went on to join the civil service as an administrative and diplomatic officer (PTD), before serving in numerous government departments.

Mohamad Zahri recalled his first meeting upon being appointed mayor: It was with a group of “fired up” traders upset over some issue.

“As I entered the hall I saw a table on the stage with chairs for me and my officers, while the traders were seated at ground level.

“I immediately knew this meeting would not go well; I needed to sit at their level and engage with them.

“So we moved the table off the stage and sat in a semi-oval seating arrangement.

“We had a good discussion. They even took photos with me and were smiling at the end of the meeting. This is my approach,” he said.

He added that he did not tolerate rudeness.

“If I see people come in with a temper, I tell them to lower their tone if they want me to continue meeting with them.

“We have to be in control of the situation yet stay approachable,” he said.
Petaling Jaya Mayor,MBPJ
PETALING Jaya, Selangor will soon have an upgraded venue to host football matches, following RM8mil repair and renovation works at Stadium MBPJ (Petaling Jaya City Council stadium) in Kelana Jaya.