I do not write this letter to disparage any particular government agency. In fact, I have had good cooperation and response from almost all the agencies with which I have had the pleasure of interacting over the past 10 years with regards to submitting complaints and follow-up, be it MBPP, JKR, PBA or even the IWK in Penang.

However, I wish to submit a question for all government agencies to consider: how quickly should they respond to a complaint, especially if it involves a situation that poses obvious danger to an oblivious driver or individual?

This happened early in the morning, at about 6am near the Jalan Utama area in Penang. A burst pipe was gushing out water like a fountain, nearly 10m in the air! It would have happened earlier, perhaps in the wee hours when nearby residents were all fast asleep.

I happened to pass by that road, and the gush of water was so obvious that I could not drive by and do nothing. I placed a call to the 24-hour Pejabat Bekalan Air (PBA) hotline as well as through Facebook Messenger, which allowed me to send pictures and videos, too.

All this was at 6.15am. I decided to wait at that junction until the PBA arrived. Note that it was still dark at the time, and the burst pipe would have posed a danger to unsuspecting motorists who turned onto the road off Jalan Utama. They would have been met with a gaping hole and a giant artificial fountain!

I waited and waited. At 7am, my impatience led me to send a second complaint through Facebook Messenger. I got a reply saying that the response team only checks in at 7am. This was confirmed by the leader of the PBA team which eventually arrived.

The wait was frustrating, although interspersed with passersby who provided good cheer and enquired about the situation. The opportune meet-up with ex-schoolmates who happened to pass by also helped.

The PBA team arrived at 7.45am – a good hour and a half from the time I submitted my complaint. At least two to three hours of continuous water flow at a high rate had elapsed, which obviously translates to thousands of litres of water wasted – literally washed down the drain.

This is my question, specifically to the PBA: what is your SOP regarding such complaints? If it is received at 4am, is there a team on standby to respond? Is there an officer to evaluate the gravity of the situation and decide if it warrants an immediate response?

I hope answers will be forthcoming. To all who read this, may it be a question that other government agencies consider as well. We now have a new federal government. New spirit is needed as well in those who serve, “mereka yang berkhidmat”.

Boo Soon Yew is an FMT reader.

The views expressed are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of FMT.