PETALING JAYA – The gotong royong clean up was initiated by the neighbourhood watch group.
About 80 multi-racial residents of Taman Paramount Section 20 in Petaling Jaya do their bit cleaning up the residential area to look clean and improve the environment on Sunday morning June 2, 2013.
They were joined by 15 police officers from the friendly neighbourhood police station, the Balai Polis SEA Park in SS2 Petaling Jaya led by its station chief OCS Inspector Gunam Resul.
“I am proud the residents take pride in helping to take care of the cleanliness of their area for the benefit of the community,” said Section 20A Rukun Tetangga (RT) chairman Kong Poh Heon.
The neighbourhood watch group initiated the gotong royong clean up drive and it joined with SEA Park police station to clean up the area together to make it a more pleasant and conducive place to live.
“This kind of event enables the residents to mingle among themselves to get to know each other better as well as for residents to get to know the police officers up close.
“It is a good way to foster good neighbourliness and for residents to know the police officers as their friends.”
Kong said this is the fourth year they are having the gotong royong program.
“We hope this gotong royong clean up operation will encourage and educate the people to dispose off their rubbish safely and appropriately,” he added.
Piles of rubbish like dead leaves and branches, fast-food packaging, empty bottles, general household waste and others were found on a number of streets and locations.
Inspector Gunam said the police want to forge better rapport between the force and community.
“We want to be in touch with the community, to be always together with the community and to be a part of their activity.
“Where we can get to know the community much better, our friendship will be much closer and this will make fighting crime together easier.
“The community likes to see the police and the public getting along together not just on fighting crime only but on other programs that will bring the public closer to the police for better communication and rapport between them.
Gunam said he will try his best as the OCS to get along with the local residents.
“The police and the public are together. We cannot run away.
“We want the public to be our eyes and ears and the police will always work hand in hand with the public.”
On the crime rate in the area, he said it was well under control.
“We have police patrolling with the Section 20A RT residents patrol team every day from Monday to Friday from 8.00 pm in the area.
“We are also asking that residents report any suspicious activity to the police immediately.”
Kampung Tunky sate assemblyman Lau Weng San and Petaling Jaya City Council (MBPJ) councillor Jeyaseelen Anthony also came along to lend support to the clean-up effort.
Jeyaseelen Anthony said MBPJ provided the logistic support and equipment and the MBPJ fogging team fogged around the area earlier before the gotong royong started.
Lau Weng San said he was happy to see the residents played their part in helping to clean up their area and the police involvement in this community project.
“This is for the good of everyone and as the state assemblyman for this area, I will always be happy to help the residents in whatever ways I can.”
