Helpless in own area!

TWO weeks ago, my neighbours and I confronted a group of men putting up a big promotional banner and placing stickers in residential area, only to be threatened by them.

They warned us that they would come looking for us if we removed the banner and stickers that were promoting a so-called breakthrough skin product.

We removed them and reported the matter to the ************** City Council but the men traced one of us and demanded the return of their banner.

We had destroyed the banner and out of fear, we had no choice but to pay for the cost of making it.

My story is not to highlight our vigilante action but rather the helplessness of residents who it appears have to live with people who put up such materials on just about every nook and corner.

The local authorities can’t seem to act effectively against them because these irresponsible people are all over the place.

This issue is never-ending and we can’t expect enforcement teams to go around daily just to take down banners and remove stickers.

The abundance of banners, buntings and advertising materials in Selangor is a clear indication of inaction by the authorities.

Of late, banners, whether legal or illegal, have been mushrooming in highly populated cities and townships, and the respective councils are finding various ways to solve the ongoing problem.

Most were illegal and commonly found on lamp posts, signboards and even on trees in busy commercial areas.

So what if the local councils, like Kuala Lumpur City Hall, stop issuing licences to companies to put up banners and buntings? You think they care. You think they don’t know enforcement teams have more important matters to attend to?

Does that mean the fight to rid our neighbourhoods of such garbage is left to us?

We should merely inform the authorities and not take a vigilante stand, lest ‘wanted’ posters of us are nailed to trees!