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Desa Gembira residents not happy with services

09/11/2000 The Star  By Bavani M.

It's called the Desa Gembira Condominium, but its residents are hardly rejoicing. They want to set up a residents' association, but claim that the management firm, DG Management Services, want 182 of the 362 condo owners to sign up first before they would recognise the association.

The residents want to form the association to resolve the many problems they are facing. The condominium has two blocks. It is about 70% occupied.

Desa Gembira Owners and Residents Association (DGORA) chairman Hew Chin Loi said the management was thwarting attempts by the association to get more to sign up.

"They have refused to release the name lists of those staying here. "How can we get to them (the owners) if the management doesn't help us?," asked Hew.

He said residents had complained of many break-ins in the condominium, despite round-the-clock security services.

On Sept 16, resident Eng Mui Seng was hurt during a burglary. She said the burglar entered her unit through the bedroom window and tied her housemate Gan Siew Yong.

"He then entered my room and tried to strangle me," she said. She said when the burglar left, Gan immediately intercomed the security guards for help.

"However, none of the security guards came up to my unit to check until about 20 minutes later when the police arrived. No one from the management firm came," she added.

She said the management firm charges RM14,000 monthly for the security services. "For the money they charge, we certainly deserve better," added Hew.

He said the association wanted the management firm to release a copy of the audited accounts. The association sought help from the Housing and Local Government Ministry, which held a meeting with the management firm and the association.

An official from the ministry's enforcement division. Yusleli Mohd. Yunos, said DG Management had been directed to submit the audit and financial reports to the association.

"We sent a letter to the management firm in September to comply with the residents request," he added.

Ng Yoke Meng, a director of DG Management, denied that the firm had refused to deal with the association.

"We asked them to provide us with a list of members to see if they had at least a simple majority, so that the management can work together with a group of residents who have the support of the majority," he added.

"For security reasons, we could not allow the name list of occupants to be released," he added.

he said the condominium was only given a temporary CF by City Hall as some requirements, such as landscaping work, were not fulfilled yet.

"We are working very hard on this as the condominium project was abandoned for about nine months from December 1996 to August 1997 by the previous developer," he added.

On the burglaries, Ng described them as "isolated". "We have six security guards and two supervisors working round-the-clock," he added.

"We have taken additional security measures, but it is never easy to monitor more then 1,000 residents living in 362 units," he added.