Who is responsible?

 

THERE IS an important lesson to learn from here. 

There was an important job to be done and Everybody was sure that Somebody would do it.

Anybody could have done it, but Nobody did it.

Somebody got angry about that because it was Everybody’s job.

Everybody thought that Anybody could do it, but Nobody realized that Everybody wouldn’t do it.

It ended up that Everybody blamed Somebody when Nobody did what Anybody could have done.

- Charles R. Swindoll

         The names of the people concerned and the agencies they represent are removed, so as not to cause any embarrassment. Unless the agency is consistently "bad"; otherwise, I maintain general courtesy to protect their identity. Generally, I must say, these three agencies are quite good with their quality of service. 

Big Elephants in the Room

        For eight months to a year, a few gigantic pipes had been abandoned at a certain location. These are the "big elephants" that are hard to be removed even if you use two hoists. 

        Apparently, they were not removed by the contractor that did the job some time early this year. Even the road was not tarred properly.

        I happened to know three senior persons from the three different government agencies. For such cases, it is usually no point to lodge a complaint in the SISPAA system. The complaint will be just disappear into Cyber space with no solution.

        But what is strange to me is that till now, no one knows who the contractor was that did the job. 

        When I first asked the municipal council, there was silence for a while. I followed up again. And the reply was the team at the local council will be looking into this. 

        I can imagine they have been cracking their heads how now to remove these pipes. Even if they can lift them up into the long truck, where do they send these pipes to? 

Responses that I received

        Since I have begun to know the senior paople at both the agency in charge of severage in the state and the waterworks company, I was told, these are water pipes. I believe so, too. So it is not the responsibility of the agency in charge of sewerage. 

     At the same time, I contacted the agency responsible for public water supply.

        So, now the ball is kicked back to the local council. 

Sir, I have one big circle ⭕. And now it comes back to you. 🤪

Question is, of course, how such a big project that was done in the area was not known immediately by the council staff who are supposed to oversee the project. Surely approval would need to be given before project could begin. 

And if project was being carried out, why did the Penguatkuasaan not ask to see the permit? If no permit, surely they would have issued a compound and a stop work order. 

        Now, the local council may have to bear the cost of removing these big pipes somewhere else. Maybe, to the smelter so that at least the smelter has feedstock for its furnace. 

         But, my question is: Who is responsible? If you have any solution to how to reform our government agencies so that their services can improve, please let me know. I am helping to compile some suggestions to be submitted to our Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Fadillah Yusof who is chairing the cabinet committee on local government.