KUALA LUMPUR: Frustrated after months of being given the runaround, the Taman Desa Phase 1 Residents’ Association is at its wits’ end over what it alleges are double standards by Kuala Lumpur City Hall over a neighbourhood security plan.
Despite countless letters and appeals over the past eight months, the association has yet to receive the go-ahead to relocate its main guarded entrance from Jalan Desa Ria to Jalan Desa Setia and install an Automated Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) system.
At a press conference earlier today, the association’s president, Frank Yeh, alleged that City Hall was practising double standards.
“They keep shifting the goalposts by adding requirements for us to comply with,” he said, adding that the association had even written to the mayor, to no avail.
“We have complied with every request, but to this day, eight months since we initially received a no-objection decision to proceed with our plan, we are still in the dark.
“Many of the conditions they are imposing on us have not been complied with by other residents’ associations, yet they have been allowed to continue operating.”
As an example, Yeh claimed some guardhouses in other parts of Taman Desa had been built in the middle of the road, with one even constructed across a drain.
However, Yeh said his association had been informed that its guardhouses could only be built alongside the roads.
Showing slides of guardhouses in other parts of the area, Yeh asked: “Why are they allowed to operate?”
“There are four neighbourhood security schemes operating in Taman Desa, so why is only our scheme being subjected to unilateral pressure?”
The dispute dates back to December, when City Hall initially agreed to the association’s proposal before subsequently changing its position.
Yeh said residents were even considering taking legal action against the city council. He, however, acknowledged that this would be a last resort, as legal proceedings could be costly.
Asked what the association’s next step would be, he said: “Our last option is to take legal action.”
“However, not everyone will agree to it because it costs a fortune. Not many people can afford it.”
As such, Yeh made a final plea to the authorities: “Please treat us fairly.”
The association has also expressed its unhappiness with its elected representative, Seputeh MP, Teresa Kok, who has not responded two weeks after an official memorandum of objection over the matter was submitted to her office.
“I personally delivered the letter together with another member, and we received an acknowledgement. That was on July 31. Today, two weeks later, we have yet to hear back from her,” said Yeh.
The memorandum was submitted to Kok’s office following a letter from City Hall’s Urban Planning Department dated June 5, which, according to the association, threatens the continued security of their residential area and raises several concerns over procedural irregularities:
Invalidity of the May 18, 2026 mediation session: The residents’ association maintains that any decision or minutes arising from the session organised by the Madani Sejahtera Community Mediation Centre are void. The eight residents’ representatives attended merely at the invitation of an ordinary meeting, rather than an official mediation session. They had no mandate or authority to compromise on behalf of the majority of residents.
City Hall’s one-sided action: City Hall issued an enforcement letter without first responding to the association’s official letter of demand dated March 12, 2026.
Strong support from the majority of residents: Eighty-one per cent of occupants or homeowners have paid the scheme’s annual fee for 2026, demonstrating strong support for and the clear need for the security system, which has provided residents with peace of mind for more than 16 years.
Yeh said they had hoped for Kok to intervene to ask City Hall to revoke the directive to close the scheme, ask the government agency to reply to its letters and treat it fairly.
In a statement this evening, Kok urged Yeh and the residents not to attribute City Hall’s actions or decisions to her. She also hoped the residents would not create any misunderstanding as to her role in the matter.
Twentytwo13 reached out to City Hall, and a spokesman said he would respond as soon as he received a reply from Kuala Lumpur mayor Datuk Seri Datuk Fadlun Mak Ujud.
