SUBANG JAYA: It looks as if a happy ending is in sight for all parties involved in the Laman Putra boom gate and access card fiasco.
A mutual agreement was reached following a meeting between representatives of the Laman Putra Residents' Association (LPRA), Subang Jaya Municipal Council (MPSJ), a representative from the Putra Heights police station, and Laman Putra resident JASON LIM at the council headquarters on Tuesday.
After the meeting, MPSJ corporate department assistant director Asfarizal Abdul Rashid tells Hotline all parties have agreed that the security system put in place by the LPRA is now organised, running smoothly and is effective in preventing crime.
Azfarizal, however, is quick to stress the council is neither permitting nor prohibiting the use of the boom gate, as, "according to the rules and guidelines, no barrier can be present on a public road.
"However, after taking into consideration the safety aspect, the LPRA and LIM reached a resolution regarding the matter."
Nonetheless, he stresses a guard must be manning the boom gate at all times, in accordance with LIM's request.
According to Azfarizal, subscribers and non-subscribers of the access card system are encouraged to cooperate by buying car stickers, priced at RM5 for six months, which will help guards identify them as residents.
All drivers will still be able to press a button to raise the boom gate themselves should they wish to do so.
Azfarizal further explains that LPRA's justification was that the system was intended to identify the driver.
The furore began following Hotline's Dec 7 report highlighting LIM's grouses over the security system adopted by the LPRA, in which he alleged residents who did not pay the monthly RM50 fee were made to use the visitor's entrance and exit.
He questioned the logic of the system as residents and visitors merely had to press a switch, located in the guardhouse, to raise the boom gate themselves.
It was reported the council had extended notices to the RA chairman on April 15 and Nov 14 advising them to comply with the Selangor Housing and Real Estate Board's Guarded Community guidelines in which the use of access cards is prohibited and requires proper authorisation before implementation.
Laman Putra Residents Association (LPRA) chairman Roy Ho then denied residents were forced to pay for access cards, saying the majority of residents supported the move.
It was further reported, on Dec 20, that a large number of residents had gathered to voice support for their RA, where HO explained visitors and residents were asked to stop their vehicles to push a button to enter or exit, so faces can be recorded by two CCTV cameras installed there.
He alleged the boom gate system helped ensure Laman Putra remained crime-free.
LPRA looks forward to positive reactions from MPSJ, the land office and residents now that the matter is resolved.
Its chairman Roy Ho assures guards will be stationed there 24-hours but says residents must wait if the guard is busy, unless they choose to open the boom gate themselves.
HO states: "The security system is partially compromised since the guard will open the gate, but we will make do."
RA vice chairman Adrian Looi says this was the standard operating procedure from the start though others perceived it differently.
"But if a resident's car is stolen, we lose the ability to record the driver," Looi warns.
Resident JASON LIM, while happy a solution is reached, says his real intentions were misunderstood by many.
"My intention was not to remove the whole boom gate but just to reduce the inconvenience to us all when entering and exiting Laman Putra," he explains.
He claims an anonymous "threatening" flyer was placed at his home recently, but says he is uninterested in investigating the matter to avoid further misunderstanding.