Kudos and appreciation to DBKL's Muhammad Azri. It's time all Local Councils follow DBKL

It's time all Local/Municipal Councils review Guarded Neighbourhood schemes in their jurisdiction that were approved years ago as the RAs tend to deviate from the actual approved plan and no longer follow the guidelines.

The councils should also request for fresh mandate from the residents every 2 years to ensure the decision is unanimous, still relevant and that they still command sufficient up-to-date consents. 

The authorities should also check on the neighbourhoods yearly to see if the RAs are following all the guidelines or not. Not just a one-off approval. And subsequent renewals of the scheme must only be given if all guidelines and requirements are met.

The tables have turned! Nowadays the majority don't want GnG anymore - only the corrupt RAs that have been making good money from it will still want to operate.

Rukun Tetangga vs GnG

As long as the authorities allow corrupt RAs to operate illegal GnG schemes in our non-strata neighbourhoods, Rukun Tetangga will never take off. Why? Because corrupt RAs won't be able to profit from operating Rukun Tetangga's Skim Rondaan Sukarela.

They are not interested in KRT because they won't be able to collect monthly fees from the residents. It is so easy to enrich themselves when they operate any informal GnG schemes - just hire one or two guards and start collecting monthly "security fees" from the residents. Then they install access cards system to make their operation easier. As simple as that.

It seems these amendments to the Rukun Tetangga bill does not prioritize Rukun Tetangga scheme over informal GnG schemes and thus makes little differences.

Perhaps the authorities should look into the applications of RAs who wished to set up new or to renew their GnG schemes - firstly they will have to show proof that they have briefed all the residents on the matter and the majority of them want to pay for an illegal GnG scheme rather than a free government's empowered Rukun Tetangga scheme.