Angsana Flats are EVERYWHERE!!!

After reading a Hannah Yeoh blog post about Angsana Flats, it got me thinking.

Concerned, I decided to check out the flats here in Alor Star. Got my mom to take me to the flats nearest to my home. It is not much different from the Angsana Flats in terms of its condition. Rubbish was dumped, or rather scattered everywhere; the road, the corridor, the playground... The only playground at that area had loads of graffiti. The ground floor of the flats are filthy. I think I'd find it hard to live in this kind of conditions. Yet, people still live there.

The flats. Look at how unkempt the walls are.
Something should be done.
The playground, vandalized.
The filthy corridor. I wonder when it was last washed.
It needs to be repainted, and cleaned.
My suggestion: A gotong-royong should be held.
The rubbish dump. Full to the brim...and overflowing. Flies abound.
Rubbish scattered everywhere.
My suggestion: More rubbish bins should be provided and the Majlis Bandaran should collect the rubbish everyday. Come on, so many people live there. Such small rubbish collection bins are definitely not sufficient.

If this road was found in Singapore, the people who threw rubbish on it would be fined. Why do people throw rubbish everywhere?

That's Malaysia. Let's compare it with Singapore, our neighboring country. I stayed at the HDB Flats with my uncle last year. The flats are not those high end ones. They were formerly 2-room units which the government has since upgraded to 3 rooms. And majority of the people who live there are from the lower income group. My uncle is a professional but he says he doesn't mind living there because the place is very okay.

Look at the flats for afar. So clean.
This is what the flats should be like in Malaysia.Look at the playground there and tennis courts. They even have areas for futsal. And the children's playground actually has those rubberized mats for safety. I am told that every few years they are refurbished. Don't think so we get that here in Malaysia. So spotlessly clean and green. Pleasing to the eye and makes living there quite bearable, don't you think?
The corridors, can't see any rubbish.

The living space is quite cramped...at least for me cos here, I am fortunate enough to stay in a landed property...but the surroundings are very clean there. The cleaners come every day. They even have lifts. The flats I went with my mom....you have to climb up 6 flights of stairs if you live on that floor. Shouldn't the authorities do something for the people? Provide decent maintainance for a start...I think that would be good.