GEORGE TOWN, Oct 24 ― The Penang Island City Council (MBPP) must be strict in the enforcement of its bylaws, councillor Azahari Aris said today.

He said the bylaws were made for a reason and its strict enforcement will help educate the public on their necessity to ensure the smooth running of the city.

“We must look at the bigger picture, every bylaw and policy that were tabled and approved must be there for a reason,” he said in his speech during the full council meeting this morning.

“There should not be any compromise when it comes to enforcement action as MBPP must stand firm on its stance in enforcing the bylaws,” he added.

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Last month, state executive councillor Jagdeep Singh Deo announced that safety guidelines for hillsite development 2012 will be tightened in line with recommendations by the Commission of Enquiry into the 2017 fatal landslide in Tanjung Bungah.

Azahari also cautioned his fellow councillors against falling for politicians and groups with certain agendas, though he did not name anyone in particular.

Some political leaders and groups have frequently criticised MBPP for its enforcement actions against illegal traders.

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“Whether it is traders, hawkers, developers or individuals, they must adhere to all of these bylaws and policies.

“Yet, the enforcement action by MBPP is no longer feared as the city council is seen as one that will easily compromise as per ‘you grab my back, I grab your back’,” he said.

He said it is time for MBPP to look into any weaknesses in its policies and bylaws to ensure enforcement action is tightened and more strict.

“Enforcement action must be seen to be strict and fair for it to be effective,” he said.

He also called on the city council to respond immediately to false accusations against it on social media, especially those laced with racial and religious allegations.

He said some had even played the religious and racial card in criticising MBPP’s enforcement actions and created a false impression of the city council among the public.

“The accusers created a false perception of the enforcement action taken by MBPP and many of these detractors do so without fear as they are hiding behind their computer screens,” he said.

Later in a press conference, MBPP Mayor Datuk Yew Tung Seang agreed that the city council has to be more responsive when handling criticisms against it on social media.

“We need to counter it with true facts of why we needed to take action and how we did it,” he said.

He added that the society is fast in using social media to criticise so the city council will need to speed up in its responses.