Humiliating Defeat for Jenice Lee

DAP’s Teratai assemblyman Jenice Lee today suffered a humiliating defeat in a referendum conducted in Taman Putra Phase 1.

The referendum was called by the Rukun Tetangga (RT) committee to determine whether the residents supported their RT or Jenice who wants the committee removed.

Not a single household supported Jenice but the RT received all the 248 votes cast.

After the referendum, Taman Putra Phase 1 RT chairman John Ee rapped Jenice for fearing to face her electorate.

He said: “Jenice is just an arrogant assemblyman who even had the audacity to lodge a police report over a banner put up by us.

“All the banner says is that we have invited her as a special guest to this dialogue with us today. Instead, she accuses me of misusing her name and called for my resignation.

“She even wrote to Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Tan Sri Dr Koh Tsu Koon, who is responsible for national unity, to remove me as RT chairman. How ridiculous can she be?”

He said the RT committee had officially, via a letter dated July 20 which was hand delivered on July 21, invited Jenice to a dialogue with Taman Putra residents over several issues.

“We were forced to organise the dialogue to clarify issues and accusations levelled against us by Jenice,” he added.

Ee said Jenice had:

• Questioned the existence of the residential security control or guarded system, blaming the system as a hindrance to the Ampang Jaya Municipal Council (MPAJ)’s access to maintain and clear clogged drains, and thus causing the May 2012 flash floods;
• Failed to respond to the residents’ demand to clean and repair Taman Putra’s drainage after the flash floods. RT’s efforts to clear the drains through a gotong royong were met with disruptive attempts by people who claimed to be “orang Jenice” (Jenice’s men);
• Accused the RT of using the field illegally to hold community development programmes when all were held with the authorities’ approval. On this ground, Jenice demanded that Koh removes John Ee as the RT chairman. Is it the right of an assemblyman to remove an RT official? and
• Accused the RT of constructing a futsal court illegally on the field with federal government approval; this accusation is baseless and untrue as it was carried out with MPAJ’s approval and the community facility is now managed according to the Youth and Sports Department’s rules and guidelines. The RT had to turn to the federal government for assistance because Jenice and the MPAJ had failed to support the RT’s request to construct such a facility in Taman Putra.

“With such serious and unfounded accusations levelled at us, we felt compelled to invite her (Jenice) as an assemblyman to have a community dialogue to clear the issues.

“Instead, she responded childishly by lodging a police report against me and the RT. She also did not have the courage to face us in an open dialogue,” Ee said.

Ee said the referendum was called to adhere to democratic principles since Jenice had claimed the residents did not support the RT.

“I believe the residents, through their ballots, have sent a clear message to Jenice. Don’t meddle or try to create unnecessary problems for the residents,” he added.

However, Ee said: “We are still hoping that Jenice will find the courage to meet us in a community dialogue to clear the heavy accusations levelled at me and my RT committee.” – StopTheLies

DAP