Greeting from the United States of America.
I am fortunate and thankful that I was recently selected to participate in a 6 week Legislative Exchange Program in the USA, organized by the American Council for Young Political Leaders (ACYPL) and funded by the US government (Don’t worry, no MPSJ funds being used here).
The program starts off with briefing and orientation in Washington DC. Then we (4 Malaysians including myself) will be heading for St Louis where we will be attached with St Louis City Council for nearly a month.
This would certainly be a great opportunity to observe the workings of a rather mature democracy. One to the things I am keen on learning is the interactions and relations between the City Council and the residents. St Louis has a population of nearly 1 million, which is somewhat similar to MPSJ.
Among things to learn in this area is how public consultation is conducted, in areas of development and redevelopment (a hot topic in Subang Jaya), policy changes (such as licensing conditions, parking, etc), public spending and budgeting as well as complaint management. I certainly look forward to their meet the public sessions and town hall meetings.
Another area of keen interest is how they plan and manage public spaces, which is basically things like parks, playgrounds, community centers, hall, sports facilities, etc. It is certainly the impression from afar that in developed countries like the USA these facilities are top notched, and well maintained. Lets see how they manage to do it, as well as a cost comparison – how much do they spend on developing and maintaining these facilities compared to us.
The issuance and control of business activities (through business licenses) is another hot topic back in Subang Jaya, as with the rest of urban Malaysia. Common complaints back home are on cybercafés, massage centers & entertainment outlets. How should the city council balance the regulation of such businesses for harmonious living while keeping the freedom of choice and the advancement of the economy & tourism alive?
Other areas that I’m keen on learning is their traffic management, public transportation, public cleanliness, infrastructure maintenance and public health (restaurant hygiene, pets, pest contro & vector diseases)
If you have any questions or suggestions, I welcome them. You can contact me via
SMS: +6012-3111585 (I will update my local USA phone number on my blog and facebook once I get it)
Email: rajiv@dapsj.com
Blog: http://www.rajiv4malaysia.com/
Twitter: http://twitter.com/rajiv4malaysia
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/rajiv4malaysia
