The mobile phone tower which was stealthily built in a residential area in Jerantut is now a monument of shame for the MCA and the influential people behind the company that built it. We, the residents, want it moved to any one of the tens of uninhabited hills in the region.

The MCA state assemblyman for Jerantut has been extremely supportive of the company that built the tower. This is in sharp contrast to the dissatisfaction of the residents at the eight 'tamans' surrounding the tower (there are 20 'tamans' within one kilometre from the tower).

There have been two gatherings, up to 600 people at each, during which residents expressed our anger at the building of this base station.

The peace-loving residents had to resort to gatherings like these because their state assemblyman whom they elected will not listen. He has failed to convey our grievance to the appropriate authorities.

When concerned residents successfully contacted the relevant people in authority, the assemblyman shamelessly claimed in local papers that he was the one who set up the meetings.

The residents expect to be consulted on the building of such a hideous and harmful tower. The Salzburg Resolution (2000) on the building of mobile phone base stations, drawn up by international experts, recommends that:

Full information for and the active involvement of the local public

the inspection of alternative location for the siting and

consideration for the conservation of the landscape and town.

In Jerantut, the builders of the tower have ignored the local public and picked the most densely populated residential area in the entire district for this base station. They have no respect for the residents, let alone for the environment.

The state assemblyman, elected by the locals, should be more interested in the well-being of the residents rather than that of a commercial company. The residents do not need the tower because our mobile phones are working fine.

The company says it needs the tower so they could make money by sending signals to Taman Negara (80km away) and beyond. I can see at least five uninhabited hills near the new tower, and there are lots more beyond. Why build the tower in a residential area?

MCA fought hard to regain Jerantut from PAS-Semangat 46 alliance once. However, it turns out to be a shameless puppet for well-connected people behind greedy companies.