'Ah Long' dirties Alor Star streets

NUISANCE- Many parts of the city plastered with stickers or lined with illegal advertisements by these loan sharks

ALOR STAR: ADVERTISEMENT bills and posters put up by illegal money lenders (Ah Long) are fast dirtying the city.

These can be found at almost all public places, including telephone booths and bus stands.

Even trees are not spared by these Ah Long.

At a number of housing areas here, these bills and posters cover road signs, making it difficult for visitors to find houses of their relatives and friends.

Residents of Kampung Batin in Mergong here are unhappy with the activities of these loan sharks.

Harun Ismail, 75, said: "This is unacceptable. Not only do the stickers deface public facilities, but they are an eyesore."

His friend, Mohd Zahir Mansor, 42, urged the Alor Star City Council to take action fast.

"I am afraid the loan sharks will become bolder and stick their illegal advertisement stickers or hang their banners on our properties.

"I am also afraid they may come at us in hordes and harass us."

A check showed that Ah Long had put up banners along a 300m stretch along Jalan Kampung Batin.

Alor Star City Council's director of planning and corporate communications division Bohari Md Yusof said the activities of the loan sharks were quite difficult to contain.

"Almost every day, council workers tear down these illegal banners and posters.

"However, we will find them put up again the very next day."

Last year, he said the council spent over RM120,000 on clearing, cleaning and repair works on public places dirtied or damaged by such Ah Long banners and stickers.

Bohari admitted that tracing these loan sharks, based on their contact numbers, was not an easy task as they kept changing their prepaid mobile telephone numbers.

In the meantime, the council will continue to remove the banners.

- New Straits Times