DISPUTES over the building of a guardhouse and automated barrier gate at the entrance of a clubhouse and football field in Kuala Ampang, Ampang have further strained relations between the Ulu Klang Recreation Club (UKRC) and the newly-formed Kuala Ampang Residents? Association (KARA).
A group of residents and members had organised a football match against the Grasshopper Football Club, a group of expatriate players including the Venezuelan ambassador to Malaysia Manuel Antonio Guzm?n, on Jan 9 but were barred from entering the premises.
It is learnt that a group of plainclothes security guards refused to allow visitors in and demanded that they either show a UKRC membership pass or contact the management office.
The residents and members also claimed that the goalposts were removed from the field and locked to prevent visitors from using them.
Calls to the management office on the day also went unanswered.
Although the guardhouse and gate were built in October last year, it was not utilised till Jan 9. Since then, guards have been posted at the entrance to the premises from 4pm to 8pm everyday.
The group had lodged a complaint with the Selangor Mentri Besar?s office when the structures were initially built in October.
The office then issued a notice to Ampang Jaya Municipal Council (MPAJ) to remove the structures within 14 days in a letter dated Oct 31.
However, since then no action had been taken to remove the structures from the premises.
At a meeting on Monday, KARA and several Kuala Ampang residents brought up the matter and several other issues with Hulu Klang assemblyman Saari Sungib.
?The guardhouse and gate are illegal as the field had been categorised as an open space by Selangor Mentri Besar Tan Sri Abdul Khalid Ibrahim last year.
?However, there has been no official letter to this effect.
?I have spoken to the mentri besar?s office and requested that they issue a formal letter stating that the field be classified as a public space,? Saari said.
He also said MPAJ did not carry out the demolition as intended because they wanted to maintain the status quo.
?They are worried that should they remove the structures, the outcome could be disastrous. I will continue to pursue the matter and hope to receive an answer by this week,? Saari said.
During the press conference, KARA also highlighted their previous demand that the UKRC be subjected to an independent audit as one has not been carried out before.
It was reported that the group had raised RM1,500 and appointed an external auditor and that UKRC had agreed to this.
However, in a recent report by StarMetro, UKRC committee chairman Andrew Gopal said the club?s constitution only allowed internal audits.
Three members were also recently expelled after disciplinary inquiries for speaking to the media as well as lodging complaints with the Registrar of Societies (ROS) about issues which the group had been unhappy about.
One of the three, Ng Weng Soon, said he was sceptical about the outcome of the meeting but had faith in Saari.
?We just want the freedom to be able to use the field and its facilities again,? he said.
Ng, along with the group, were recently found cutting the grass on the football field next to the club building, as maintenance for it had stopped more than a month ago.
Another ex-member, who declined to be named, said the continuous tussle was affecting annual football matches such as the Veterans? Tournament and Juniors? Tournament.
?It is such a shame to cancel the tournament because most of the residents here look forward to the matches. We usually have over 500 spectators,? he said.
The club is located on a 2.13ha plot of land which was gazetted as a green area in 2005 and placed under MPAJ?s jurisdiction.
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