Announcements

(1)
There'll be a major traffic diversion in the Jalan Universiti area
starting November '09. More info here.

(2)
Picture taken from The Nut Graph.

Our deepest condolences to the family members and fiancee of Teoh Beng Hock.
Ed had attended the memorial service at Nirvana Memorial Park.
Justice for Beng Hock has been set up if you'd like to read more updates.
It's mainly in Mandarin, so you may use the Google translate tool
if you are unable to read Mandarin.

I've also decided to incorporate Goh Keat Peng's article about Teoh's death
in our news section because it is time for us to act on what we preach.

James 2:14-17
¹⁴What good is it, my brothers, if a man claims to have faith but has no deeds?
Can such faith save him?
¹⁵Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food. ¹⁶If one of you says to him, "Go, I wish you well; keep warm and well fed," but does nothing about his physical needs, what good is it?
¹⁷In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.

It's a dark event for all of us at Bukit Gasing, with Teoh being a colleague of
Ed and Simon whom they had just talked with a few days before his demise.

Teoh's death has served as a reminder to us that no matter how tired,
disappointed and frustrated we are,
we must persevere on and work towards a better Malaysia.

-Charlotte

*For latest updates, check The Malaysian Insider's twitter.

(3)

MBPJ's Quick Response Teams (QRTs) are up and running!
They've been set up to act within 48 hours on complaints about drains,
potholes, public toilets, trimming of trees, and the like.
Read more about it here!

Role of a State Legislator

Compiled by Joey

Your State Assembly Representative, or Ahli Dewan Undangan Negeri (ADUN), represents you in the State Assembly. They are your main link to the decision makers of the country.

A State Assemblyman and a Member of Parliament play similar roles as law makers or legislators. The former makes state laws, while the latter makes federal laws — both in accordance with the Federal Constitution.

For example, the state can pass laws on matters relating to land, agriculture, forestry, local government, riverine fishing and Muslim law, among others. It shares jurisdiction with the federal government on matters relating to social welfare, scholarships, protection of wildlife and town and country planning. State legislation does not cover areas such as internal security, defence, civil and criminal law, citizenship, finance, communications, health, labour and commerce and shipping industry.

As laid out by Dr Azmi Sharom, associate professor of Universiti Malaya (http://getanmp.blogspot.com/2008/02/mps-role-jaga-longkang-settle-saman.html), your ADUN's primary duty is to debate and vote on the proposed laws (known as Bills) to ensure that the best possible laws are made. Therefore, they should be well-informed about the Bills they are discussing to be able to debate intelligently.

Your ADUN also helps to check and critique the way government policy is made and implemented and to hold the Executive accountable and help prevent abuse of power.

Your ADUN may also raise issues that are of concern to their constituency, which may be discussed and even legislated. If you would like to raise an issue or a concern to YB Edward Lee, you can contact him at edwardlee.pj[at]gmail.com.

More on state legislative assemblies

There are 13 State Legislative Assemblies (Dewan Undangan Negeri or DUN) in Malaysia, corresponding with the 13 states. Each DUN comprises the head of state, a Speaker and elected representatives. State representatives are chosen via state elections, usually held simultaneously with federal elections.

In Selangor, for example, there are 56 ADUNs. A state assembly member's term is limited to five years. The state assembly must be dissolved before or upon expiration of its term for a fresh election to elect its members.

Local government councillors

For the time being, your state government also appoints local government councilors who make up the Local Authority, namely local municipal councils. Your councillors assist in the management and decision-making processes of the Local Authority by making by-laws and sitting on committees.

The Local Authority is in charge of the management of districts, towns and cities, specifically in the areas of: local environmental matters, licensing of activities, public health, cleanliness of public areas, public amenities, social services and land use planning.

If you have a problem with any of the above issues, you may contact MBPJ at their hotline 03-7954 2020 or your Bukit Gasing Councilors (http://edwardleepj.blogspot.com/2008/09/bukit-gasing-councillors.html).

Map of PJ constituencies

Click on map to view larger version.

Map of PJ councillors' divisions

Click on map to view larger version.