An NGO in Prai says it is utterly disappointed that despite a revenue of RM54 million in 2010, the Seberang Perai Municipal Council (MPSP) has failed to act upon its complains on garbage collection in at least nine areas.

NONE Perai Social Empowerment and Enterprise Development Society (Perai SEEDS) chairperson R Muniswaran said the council seems to have been able to save millions from failing to look into the cleanliness of the mainland, despite the state's campaign for a ‘Greener, Cleaner Penang'.

The NGO has gathered proof that almost every residential area has uncollected garbage, unswept and clog drains and uncut grass, he said.

He added that the dire situation has contributed to 60-odd cases of dengue in Prai alone.

He provided photos of the affected residential areas in town, saying  he had lodged complaints with the MPSP, but has yet to receive a response.

"MPSP has failed to maintain what was previous done by the BN administration to keep the area clean ," he said, at a press conference.

"MPSP is a council and not a company to make profit. Initially there was only one JKKK in Prai, now there are four, yet they have failed to look into the basic issues on the ground," he added.

Neglect of basic needs

Muniswaran was accompanied by SEEDS secretary K. Prabakaran, and Vilage Develoment and Security Committee (JKPP) chairperson Yacob Hashim.

He lamented that although complaints had been publicised four days ago, none of the MPSP personnel had contacted the association over the matter.

"Why save millions when the rakyat's basic needs are neglected? Why need to show (that they have) millions on paper?" he queried.

NONE Meanwhile, Muniswaran has denounced Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng's ( right ) continued "boasting" of how well Penang is compared to when it was governed by the previous BN administration.

He said the truth is Penang is worse off now than before as the Pakatan Rakyat government is only interested in "making and saving money" to show they are managing their finances properly.

However, this is done at the expense of the rakyat, and many are not aware that the living condition and environment of Penangites have "deteriorated" since the new government took over, he added.

"Based on our observation, all the areas we visited in Prai are equally dirty and we found that what should be done based on the Client's Charter (Piagam Pelanggan) of MPSP was not done," he said.

"We believe this is so because the contractors who are given the work had their contracts terminated or were asked to do a half past six job for less pay, when this happens services provided are affected," he added.

Rethink garbage culture call

Three years ago, the MPSP was reportedly bleeding red ink with a  RM230 million deficit burden.

The council recently announced its fiscal performance for last year, recording a surplus of RM13.6 million, four straight years of surpluses since the Pakatan took over in 2008.

MPSP councillor Steven Sim said 71 percent of the MPSP's budget is allocated to "improving cleanliness" in the mainland.

"On a normal day, Penang produces more than 1,000,000 kg of garbage. If more than 50 percent are organic, we should not burden our landfills," he said on his Facebook page.

"Local government has to be responsible for solid waste management, but the people must seriously rethink our garbage culture," he added.

When contacted, Sim said it was a “misnomer"”to say that the MPSP had neglected its duties as the officers had gone down to check the affected areas today after being informed by Malaysiakini .

He added that from the photos sent by the NGO, the areas targetted may not be specified areas for garbage collection.

However, Sim thanked the group for highlighting the problem, saying the MPSP will get down to work on the issue immediately.

“But please don’t politicise even garbage problems. We are serious about cleanliness, going by our decision to allocate more funds to keep Penang clean,” he told Malaysiakini .