by DAP MP for Petaling, Lim Kit Siang, in Petaling Jaya on Saturday 27th Feb 1982:
Call on Petaling Jaya Municipality to revert to the old car parking system at Jalan Othman (old town) in the interests of public convenience and the business of the market stallholders.
The introduction of the new car parking system by the Petaling Jaya Municipality for some two weeks for the Jalan Othman (old town) market has caused great public inconvenience and losses to the market stallholders.
Under the new car parking system, the two main gates of the Jalan Othman market are closed, and cars entering the enclosed parking area of the market are ticketed on entrance, payments to be made at the exit point.
The spaces available and the location are such that this system has caused great inconvenience to the public, leading to considerable losses of business of the stallholders.
This morning, together with Sdr. Pan Su Peng, DAP Assemblyman for Kuala Kubu Bahru, Sdr. Tai Sin Piaw and Sdr. Yap Ah Ngaw, DAP PJ branch officials, I visited the old town market, and from the frustration and even anger of the public, and their views, it is clear that the new car parking system is very much more inconvenient than the previous.
The convenience of the public must be of paramount consideration in any public utility, like a public market, and the convenience of administration of the Municipality should not stand in the way of having an efficient and smooth system for car parking in the old town market.
There were also complaints that those who had not been able to find parking space had also to pay the ticketed fee on entrance, which is most unfair and unjustifiable. Even if there is provision that they could get a refund if they could not get a parking space, which is not eh case now, the queues and jams such further administrative problems would create could only lead to greater public inconvenience.
I call on the Petaling Jaya Municipal Yang di-Pertua to revert to the old system where the gates are all open, and the cars are ticketed in their parking bays. There is no reason why with a competent and efficient parking attendant system, the Municipality should get less revenue.
The Petaling Jaya Municipality should not make the people suffer inconvenience and the stallholders lose their business and the great inconvenience in unloading goods, just because of inefficient and incompetent system of parking attendant system.
I have no doubt that if the Petaling Jaya nominated councillor take the trouble to visit the market, especially on the weekend mornings, and identify themselves as the Councillors responsible for such a new car parking system, they would have first-hand experience of whether they have public support for such a change.