From Ronald Quay

I refer to your columnist Frankie D’Cruz’s article headlined “Wild, booze hub Bangsar needs to sober up”.

I think it may be a bit of a stretch for the writer to describe Bangsar as he did with such an insensitive descriptive tone. To describe Bangsar as a “booze hub” is not funny. Tell me what’s a booze hub? A place for drunks? A headquarters for all so-called boozers to meet and get drunk? Is he saying that Bangsar is all of this, that Bangsar is the only “booze” hub in all of Kuala Lumpur?

Please, give me a break.

As if it’s not enough to label Bangsar, to depict the Jalan Telawi area as the “Jalan Telawi dump” is nasty as the comment simply does not fit in with the character of the Bangsar business community. The writer seems to equate Bangsar with an immoral place.

And adding more salt to the wound, the article goes on to state that there are business owners who say there is a “complete breakdown of civilised behaviour” that is hurting business. It is a laughable thing to say that Bangsar has not only become a dump and an immoral place but because of a few miscreants, we now have an uncivilised mob of denizens visiting the area. One wonders which silly business owner would want to utter such flippant comments about his own business community to his customers?

Does D’Cruz really think Bangsar is such a dump? Criticisms are perfectly acceptable but it is not pleasant to receive a tasteless hotchpotch of insensitive remarks that do not fit in with the ethos of Bangsar, which has always been portrayed as one of the lovelier and exemplary communities in Kuala Lumpur. Such patronising comments from the writer will not help but instead heap more pain on our businesses.

As it is, the Covid-19 pandemic has caused much grief not only to us but to nearly all businesses in the country. These days, it’s a huge struggle to stay alive. Businesses are hurting and the last thing we would want is to have wanton comments adding a bit more to our grief.

It is most unfortunate that there was a fatality in Bangsar a few days ago. The police reports state that this incident arose out of a feud between some men. It seems the protagonists had an argument which ultimately led to a fight. But the fight was not in a pub. It was in some back lane. Fights or brawls rarely happen in the pubs. Sadly, the few fights that occur will, unfortunately, always attract negative publicity.

I would be a fool if I were to say that it’s all hunky-dory in Bangsar and no incidents happen. But neither is it fair to make Bangsar the whipping boy because of the conduct of a few miscreants.

A thriving suburb like Bangsar is bound to attract all types – the good and the few bad apples. It is impossible to prevent “bad” people from coming to Bangsar. This happens everywhere, not just in Bangsar.

Bangsar has always been a nice area to come to and visit, to have a latte or a beer and enjoy the variety of diverse restaurants that provide tasty meals for everyone, including the family. Besides its excellent location and the pleasant surrounds, over the past many years, Bangsar has evolved to be a popular and a thriving spot to reside in and for small businesses to thrive.

Finally, for the information of the authorities, it must be acknowledged that during the pre-Covid days, even after the closure of the pubs and restaurants after midnight, alcoholic beverages could still be bought from the 24-hour convenience shops, which Bangsar has quite a few.

These 24-hour stores, sadly, do not abide by DBKL’s licensing laws which state that the sale of alcoholic beverages is not permitted after 9pm. Today, one can still easily buy a drink in these stores after 9pm. What is even more dangerous is that the alcoholic beverages are bought on the cheap. It is time for the authorities to mull over this matter as the last thing one would want to see is for late-night revellers to obtain drinks in the wee hours of the morning – and continue to drink on the streets.

Ronald Quay is a member of the Bangsar Baru business community.

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