Councillor owes RM5,433 assessment
R. Nadeswaran and Terence Fernandez

PETALING JAYA (Oct 17, 2006): The annual assessment for the property is RM195. But for 12 years, the owner has not  paid a sen to the Klang Municipal Council (MPK). Despite numerous notices, he has yet to settle his unpaid dues and  penalties which stood at RM5,433.60 as of today.

If he was just another ratepayer, his furniture and other moveable property would have been seized and auctioned and  he would have probably been prosecuted for breaching the law.

However, he is no ordinary Joe. He owns the nearby Istana Idaman which is being constructed without planning  permission.

Yes, Port Klang assemblyman and Klang municipal councillor Datuk Zainal @ Zakaria Mat Deros, who has been in the  headlines the past week, has not paid assessment for his property since 1994.

The double-storey wooden "palace", which sits on two lots in a row of low-cost houses in Kampung Idaman, Port Klang,  is a stone's throw from the palatial mansion he is building on 43,000 sq ft.

While the council has been quick to seal premises of those in arrears, Zakaria has been treated differently - albeit  with a velvet glove.

While the council sends warning notices to defaulters, its president at a recent full-board meeting pleaded with  councillors to "set a good example" by paying their assessments on time.

The Klang council's records also show that assessments to two other properties belonging to the Umno division of which  Zakaria heads, have not been settled.

The Kampung Idaman branch owes the council RM20,340.80 in assessments and penalties. Since 1989, there has been no  record of any payment being made.

The multi-storey building along Jalan Sentul, owned by the Port Klang division, owes the council RM20,344.80. No  payment has been received since 2001.

Council officials confirmed the arrears but were tight-lipped as to why there has been selective persecution of  defaulters.