Kok (standing) speaking at the forum with (seated,from left) Supt Wong, Muhammad Nor Azam, Amihizam and Supt Yeoh.
SEPUTEH MP Teresa Kok is hoping that new Kuala Lumpur mayor Datuk Seri Maimunah Mohd Sharif will bring positive changes and implement more people-friendly reforms in the capital city.
“It’s good to have a new person (as mayor), who has sufficient experience to implement ideas for Kuala Lumpur,” said Kok.
“I hope Maimunah will be given space to implement something new, something sustainable in Kuala Lumpur, since her stint with UN-Habitat was related to sustainable urban development.”
She hoped there would be minimal interference for Maimunah to implement her ideas.
“Development in Kuala Lumpur is not sustainable,” said Kok, who hopes to meet the mayor soon.
“I believe Maimunah, as a new person, will have fresh ideas and would be open to suggestions.”
Maimunah clocked in for her first day at work at Menara DBKL 1 in Kuala Lumpur on Aug 15.
She previously served as United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat) executive director, Penang island mayor and Seberang Perai Municipal Council president.
Prior to her DBKL appointment, she was Malaysia’s Special Envoy on Sustainable Urbanisation.
Kok was speaking on the sidelines of a forum on credit community held at a hotel in Jalan Kelang Lama, Kuala Lumpur.
It was organised by her office and the Community Credit Control Section (BKK), a unit under the Housing and Local Government Ministry.
BKK functions to oversee the licensing and monitoring of community credit providers and pawnbrokers as well as to increase public awareness on matters related to such organisations.
Kok credited BKK Investigation and Monitoring Branch head ACP Amihizam Abdul Shukor, who is the former Brickfields OCPD, for suggesting a forum to create awareness of community credit companies or licensed moneylenders and BKK’s purpose.
“Not many people are aware that there are licensed moneylenders.
“Some individuals resort to borrowing from loan sharks when they face money problems,” she said.
While the first forum held in Mandarin was targeted at petty traders, Kok said the next session would be in Bahasa Malaysia for low-cost flat residents in Seputeh.
Community Credit Control Section secretary Muhammad Nor Azam Samah said, “Our message to the public is simple: Even if there’s a need, don’t borrow money from unlicensed parties.
“Their interest rates are high and the borrower’s safety is not guaranteed.
“For licensed moneylenders, the interest rate is set at no more than 12% per annum for secured loans and no more than 18% per annum for unsecured loans.”
He said matters related to community credit companies were under the ministry’s purview while ah long (illegal moneylender) were investigated by the police.
BKK said there were 4,438 community credit companies in Malaysia as of July 31, 2024.
While the majority have physical offices, 41 are licensed to conduct moneylending services online.
Also present at the forum were BKK Investigation and Monitoring Unit Central Zone head Supt Wong Yuen Chuan and BKK Investigation and Monitoring Unit Northern Zone head Supt Yeoh Chun Shyan.
