An Unregal Rumble Over Condo Management

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The Regal condominium is seeing a group of residents up in arms against the management committee’s interim chairman, especially over the replacement of old pipes.PETALING JAYA: Within the quiet walls of the 18-storey condominiums in Endah Regal in Sri Petaling, there are rumblings over how it should be managed.
The tussle is between some 125 residents, led by Henry Toyad, a secretary of the pro tem management committee (MC), and the “interim” chairman, Richard Phun.
Henry’s faction has been clamouring for an emergency general meeting (EGM), after the annual meeting (AGM) which they say should have been held no later than December 2020 last year did not take place.
They want Phun replaced, citing a litany of complaints, from management style to misgivings about a piping project.
Henry said City Hall’s Commissioner of Buildings (COB) had instructed that the AGM be held on Aug 25, 2020.
Phun, the residents claimed, had intentionally ignored COB’s directive to hold the AGM “due to his own personal interest”. Phun, however, has denied such charges.
Henry, as one of the many concerned residents, explained to FMT that they were lobbying for an EGM as they wanted to address other issues including leaking pipes, malfunctioning lifts and illegal renovations.
A majority of residents, he alleges, are also unhappy with Phun’s style of management. Phun also had a police report lodged against him for assaulting another resident at a meeting.
Among those who are clamouring for change is Vincent Ng. He said that because an AGM has not been held for the past two years, the financial statements have not been presented.
This, he said, was a “clear violation” of the Building and Common Property (Maintenance and Management) Act 2007.
Ng also said some have complained that the members of the management committee are also part of the Residents’ Association (RA).
“This is not right, as there would be no checks and balances between the two groups. The RA and the management committee should be independent of each other.”
However, the incident which triggered the current feud was a dispute over a project to replace the “very old” pipes in the building. This led to the mass resignation of the previous committee in 2020 and resulted in COB’s call for an EGM on Sept 19, 2020.
Henry, along with a “concerned group of residents” said there were many issues around the piping tender process. Pricing was the main problem.
They are in the midst of gathering evidence to take the matter up with the higher authorities, like the housing and local government ministry.
They are not ruling out filing a complaint with the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission.
After sending many complaints to COB, Henry said they sought the additional intervention of the KL mayor last month only for Mahadi Che Ngah’s office to refer them back to the COB.
The notice from the mayor, Henry said, has been sent to the interim MC and the COB.
“Six weeks on and still no EGM held.”
Phun, when contacted, said he would address these allegations at a later date. - FMT

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