Vandals costing Telekom RM50mil a year

KUALA LUMPUR: RM50mil a year! That is how much vandals and thieves have cost Telekom Malaysia Bhd (TM).

Malaysians are notorious for vandalism and Permodalan Nasional Bhd (PNB) chairman Tan Sri Abdul Wahid Omar, who was formerly TM chief executive officer, said it had to spend that much a year just to rectify acts of vandalism and theft.

“We suffered numerous cable cuts due to copper theft but in many cases, they were just cutting through fibre-optic cables which were worthless to them.

“Vandalism and lack of civic-mindedness have always been sources of frustration for both Government and private entities,” he said about the vandalism and theft which happened during his stint at TM.

Abdul Wahid was speaking to reporters after a 2050 National Transformation (TN50) session at the PNB headquarters here yesterday. Youth and Sports Minister Khairy Jamaluddin, who led the session earlier, said enforcement was important.

“I’m worried, we have a virtually brand-new stadium (in Bukit Jalil) now. Once the SEA Games start, I have no idea how the facilities are going to look like,” he quipped.

On Monday, Khairy tweeted: “We must improve maintenance of public facilities for sure, but Malaysians must also improve mentality & not vandalise these amenities”.

He explained that his tweet was in response to the news and photographs of the newly-opened MRT stations being vandalised within a few days.

Shah Alam City Council (MBSA) corporate communications head Shahrin Ahmad said vandalism cases involved mainly public toilets and playgrounds.

He said things often went missing in public toilets, including taps and even toilet doors.

“There are also many cases of broken flush handles and graffiti on the walls and equipment at playgrounds.

“We appeal to the public. Please be well-mannered when you use these public amenities. Please treat the facilities like you would treat those in your own home,” he said.

Petaling Jaya City Council (MBPJ) councillor Sean Oon said while there has been a reduction in the number of cases, reports on vandalism in public washrooms were still received from time to time.

“Vandalism in the playground has dropped. It used to be quite bad. The most common form of vandalism is the putting up of Ah Long stickers on road signs, although many do not realise that this is vandalism,” he said.

In January, DBKL executive director (socio-economic development) Datuk Ibrahim Yusoff said about RM5mil was spent every year to bring down illegal advertisements, unsightly banners and bunting.