On March 14, 2022, a youth fell into a drain in MJC Batu Kawah New Towship. He got out of his parked car and was supposed to walk up to his shophouse apartment. He stepped on the cement drain cover and it broke. This incident happened right infront of me. He was groaning in pain. He suffered severe scratches and bruises on his right leg.

It was a blessing in disguise that there was no heavy bleeding. I offered to help him to stand up but he said he would like to sit for a while to allow the pain to subside. Had this happened to a senior citizen, he/she might have suffer a broken leg because of his/her brittle bone or might cost his/her life.

The MJC Management and the Padawan Council should carry out inspections on the cement drain covers before more serious injuries or even deaths happen. MJC Batu Kawah New Township was started in 1997. If we look around the drain covers along the MJC shops, most of them have suffered severe wear and tear because they are over 20 years old and have not been properly maintained. The MJC Management and Padawan Council need to do proper maintenance of this Township. Not only MJC, the Padawan Council should also look into all the public amenities under its jurisdiction. DBKU and MBKS must also do the same.

A life loss is a life too many. Every effort should be carried out to ensure all public amenities are safe to the public. Don't wait until serious injuries or loss of lives occur before we start to look into them.

Raymond Thong
Former Candidate DUN 09 Padungan Constituency
15/03/2-22