Just Close One Eye!

Just Close One Eye!
By Datuk Huan Cheng Guan
President, Centre for Political Awareness

It is quite surprising how the lure of money can blind one to the need for compliance. Suddenly, it could be all systems go with one eye closed to rules, regulations, logic and common sense. This seems to be the case in the latest billboard debacle in Penang.



The Star (http://tinyurl.com/pcwqzxy) reported yesterday that prominent billboard showing a businessman Zhang Jian from China, put up near the Penang Bridge toll plaza here, would be brought down following a police report and a complaint to the Seberang Prai Municipal Council (MPSP). The billboard states “Bakal orang terkaya di dunia – En Zhang Jian (the future richest person in the world – Mr Zhang Jian)” and bears two website addresses.

As a concerned Malaysian, I would like the Penang State government to answer the following questions:

1. Who gave the approval for the billboard to be put up and on what grounds?

2. Why didn’t the person-in-charge do the following?
a. Conduct a background check on the company with the relevant authorities and the legitimacy of its business based on the illogical content of the billboard message?
b. Why didn’t the person-in-charge check out the two websites in the billboard copy when they submitted the application? In other words, why didn’t MPSP screen the application to put up the billboard carefully?
c. The photographs and the claims in the billboard are enough to convince even a Std 6 year old kid that the whole thing is a scam and should NOT be publicized but why didn’t MPSP check?

3. Why did MPSP wait until a member of the public make a police report before the served notice to the billboard owner on June 18th to bring it down?

4. In view of the seriousness of the message and implications opening the way for more members of the public to be lured and scammed, did MPSP contact the advertiser DIRECTLY or did they merely send a notice?

5. In such circumstances, MPSP should not go by the book that the owner must remove it within 44 days of notice even though the current permit allows the billboard to run till November.

6. Why is MPSP so reluctant to remove the billboard immediately?

7. If at all MPSP had done their homework before simply approving such ridiculous billboards, MPSP would have discovered that the Domestic Trade, Cooperative and Consumerism Ministry has been investigating the business model of Zhang Jian’s company since February.

8. If at all MPSP had checked with the Chinese Embassy, MPSP would have been told that this company has been banned in China and its 26-year-old founder has been hauled up by police there five times.

9. Despite all the hot and controversial news and revelations made public about this issue, why is MPSP still silent on this? Why is the billboard still standing?

At the end of the day, Penangites have the right to demand the Penang State government to explain what sort of enforcement is being carried out in every area of governance in this state.

It seems the Penang state government has a compulsive habit to criticize others regarding issues in other states or even Federal issues but maintain a fantastically ELEGANT SILENCE when they themselves do not perform up to mark. Is this the competency, accountability and transparency they are offering Penangites in their second term?

These are the guidelines for billboards as posted here http://tinyurl.com/no4mek7

Tema kandungan iklan mestilah bersesuaian
dengan barangan yang ingin diiklankan.
Kandungan yang mengekploitasikan wajah dan
tubuh seseorang, khususnya kaum wanita dan
tiada kaitan dengan barangan yang ingin
diiklankan tidak dibenarkan. Unsur-unsur
eksploitasi selainnya terhadap golongan lelaki,
kanak-kanak dan orang kurang upaya juga tidak
dibenarkan;

Kandungan pengiklanan hendaklah jujur, benar
dan betul. Ia perlu mengelakkan apa sahaja
yang boleh meragukan;

Kandungan mestilah menggalakkan kepada
amalan berbudi bahasa dan nilai-nilai murni
antara pelbagai lapisan umur dan kaum di
Malaysia;

Kandungan mestilah mengambikira sensitiviti
masyarakat pelbagai kaum Malaysia tanpa
unsur-unsur diskriminasi sosial;

Kandungan yang mengiklankan rokok, arak dan
aktiviti yang menjurus kepada perjudian atau
perlakuan negatif lain tidak dibenarkan;

Kandungan yang memaparkan gambar wanita
atau lelaki dalam pakaian atau aksi yang
menjolok mata tidak dibenarkan;

CLICK HERE for more.

If there are guidelines as listed here http://tinyurl.com/no4mek7, why is it that MPSP chose NOT to follow these guidelines? Why is Lim Guan Eng silent on this?

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