DEMOCRACY is feared by both the UMNO-BN and some of the Opposition in Malaysia. A disturbing trend causing injustice to all Malaysians at all levels.
In most democracies, the people will elect their Federal Government representatives(MPs and Senators), their State Government representatives(the ADUNS - State Legislative Assemblypersons) and their Local Government(Local Councils/Majlis Perbandaran) - In Malaysia, we now only elect MPs and ADUNs. We had local government elections - but the UMNO-BN government stopped it - and decided to appoint Local Councillors - people had no choice.
The Pakatan Rakyat, since 2008 made democratic Local Council elections a priority...but then, the Opposition seem to have quietly dropped (or reduced priority of this call)...
According to the Royal Commission of Enquiry into the Workings of Local Authorities in West Malaysia led by Senator Datuk Athi Nahappan, if a local government is not elected, it is non-representative.If we hold fast to the time-honoured concept of "no taxation without representation", nominated local government undermines the legitimacy of local authorities to collect assessment rates which are the most important source of income of the local authorities.That is why the Royal Commission Report concluded that the merits of elected local government with all its inherent weaknesses outweigh those of the nominated ones.It is only right that Malaysia reintroduces local government elections. In a democratic society people elect their representatives.
DEMOCRACY demands that the governments are continuously in consultation with the people - more so when it comes to development projects an/or decisions affecting the towns/districts and area that people are actually living and working in.
A big shopping mall, a new taman, a building, a supermarket or hypermarket, a road enlargement, etc - all of which really need the people living in the area to be consulted - without democratic structure in place to enable people to be consulted means consulting tens of thousands of people. Not so, if we had democratically elected kampung leaders/committees, taman leaders/committees, kampung baru leaders/committees - whereby then the government will have to consult the people through these democratically elected people's representatives - who then will consult their electorate - they will fear making decisions by themselves, without consulting the people in their kampungs, kampung baru, taman, kampung orang asli, etc ...
UMNO BN government strategy to by-pass the need to consult the ordinary people was simply to just pick and appoint the Local Councils, the kampung/taman/kampung baru leaders - they created the JKKKK
Now, these 'APPOINTED' Local Councillors and the JKKKKs,... are people chosen by the government - and they are less likely to cause 'trouble' or 'difficulties' to the government's that appointed them - so they will easily approve or oppose decisions being desired by the government/s - and most times, the people may be unaware of these 'decisions made on behalf of them, the local people'...If later, people start making noise or protesting something, the answer may be that 'Yes, the people were consulted...and they agreed - evidenced maybe by the meetings or even the agreement of these 'government appointed
people's representatives - not democratically elected representatives' ?
WELL, these 'appointed' persons sadly are not even known by many in the community - and the people do not see them as 'wakil rakyat'(people's representatives) but rather government's representative.
Fungsi utama JKKK dan JKKKP
DEMOCRACY is difficult - for the people elected leaders at Local Councils, Kampung/Taman/Kampung Baru/Kampung Orang Asli may not be 'YES Men/Women' who will simply do what the government/s want them to do - they may have a different opinion - oh yes, they may even people from 'Opposition' parties...So, to avoid all 'problems' that democracy brings - simply appoint 'our' 'YES Men/Women', maybe even our party people - and less resistance...no problems. Well, sadly, this is not democracy - but really 'dictatorship' of the Federal/State government? And, sadly, some Opposition parties want to simply continue on the way the UMNO-BN has been doing all this time...do Malaysians want this?
To make matters even more difficult for people ...the UMNO-BN government created laws that will prevent the local people from coming together, meeting and acting...well we have our laws on 'Peaceful Assembly' - if we want to meet even at the taman level, we need to inform police...get permission, etc. Same with even the organising of talks/discussions...Malaysians have been denied true democracy for too long(about 60 years now) - and many have accepted it as the way it is...
In Thailand, not only is there local government elections, but every 2 years, there are also 'village elections' - kampung, taman, etc, and there are campaigns, speeches and elections for the head and the committee - The government, including the local government, are in constant consultation...and local community approval and agreement is always sought.
So, people may vote for people close to another party, not the party controlling the State or Federal Government - but that is the people's choice - RESPECT it and deal with the people through their democratically elected leaders.
UMNO-BN may have stopped Local Council elections, because persons from Opposition parties were being elected in...as local leaders at the level of Local Council. Looks like our Opposition is just as fearful as UMNO-BN - too afraid to let the people choose their own leaders at the different levels and allow for real democracy..
Furthermore, the scheduled local government elections for the rest of the country in 1965 and 1966 were also suspended. The official reason was "Konfrontasi" (Confrontation) from Indonesia.It is fair to believe that the real reason for withholding elections was the Alliance government's fear of losing more local authorities to the opposition parties.
The solution is to dis-allow partisan politics - i.e. people standing for elections at the Local Council, Kampung/Taman/Kampung Baru/Kampung Orang Asli should stand as individuals - not as a political party candidate.
Party politics has no place in local government. Candidates should contest these elections under their own banners and symbols randomly drawn from a list. Non-partisan local government is neither unique nor inconceivable. Local government in Malaya before 1960 was conducted without parties. Many cities around the world, including, for example, some of the largest in the United States such as Los Angeles and Chicago, have non-partisan elections for their city councillors.
SENATORS - Why are we,people, still not having elections for Senators? Even the Opposition ruled States like Kelantan, Penang and Selangor did not allow us to choose our own State Senators...They could have done this, but why did they not do this???
GENERAL ELECTIONS - Well, many are blaming Najib and the Federal Government for the delay...but then, Penang, Selangor and even Kelantan, governed by the Opposition could at any time dissolve the State Legislative Assembly and call for State Elections - Why have they not done so. Personally, I would prefer that that Federal and State Elections are done at a different time...Then the people, may consider the outcome of State Elections, and decide how they are going in the Federal Elections? Many consider 'check and balance', so if the Federal Government is governed by UMNO-BN, they may choose to vote in the Opposition for the State Government...Maybe...maybe??
DEMOCRACY - well, we vote in ONE MP - but after elections, that MP will be concerned for all in that constituency and will treat all equally. No favoritism for its supporters or party members...or 'friends'...But, unfortunately UMNO-BN government seems to have failed to do so...maybe also the Opposition government's of Kelantan, Penang and Selangor...Have all the Parliamentary Constitutions and State Assembly Constituents who chose an 'Opposition' MP and/or ADUN received the same attention and focus from the ruling Federal and State government?
In Temerloh, traffic lights are not working, roads in Tamans/Town are not being maintained - pot holes, dissapearing white lines, etc ...Even in the Mentakab Pusat Kesihatan, the parking lines are barely visible and people end up parking where they should not be parking blocking exits... Why? Is it because we have a PAS MP, and an Amanah ADUN, DAP ADUN and a UMNO ADUN? But, outside Klang Valley, the state of affairs even in UMNO-BN constituencies seem to be same - thanks to the fact that UMNO-BN focussed more on KL and the Klang Valley?
How many of your MPs and ADUNs took the time to have public forums (and Dialogues) with the people in their constituency in the last 5 years? We are not talking about turning up at funerals and weddings, waving, smilling and shaking hands. We are not talking about turning up to hand over government allocations? We are talking about OPEN dialogues - answering questions, etc? When workers lose jobs in large numbers, how many MPs and/or ADUNs drop by and try to assist? How many MPs and/or ADUNs even have their own FB page, Blog and Website where they share their views about issues, tell the people what they are doing, share the questions and answers they got from the government, 'consulted' the people...How many MPs and/or ADUNs even shared their email address and phone contacts with their constituency - even some of the MP addresses at the Malaysian Parliamentary website do not work anymore? Well, we will be electing the 'people's representative' soon, and hopefully people will choose a 'people's representative' - not simply a candidate chosen by some party leaders...who may simply be 'loyal to current party leader', who may not even even have the capacity of having or forming their own views and maybe even not have the needed qualities to be a true people's representatives, who will fight for the best interest of the people...
I believe that some of our MP/ADUNs may just be too scared to have dialogues with people, answer questions of the people, ...because then the people will see that they really are not 'smart' or even not have the values and principles needed to be an effective 'wakil rakyat'...If they cannot even have dialogue and answer questions of their constituents, will they even be able to convince the government(or even their party leaders) about what is needed and should be done for their constituents and the people of Malaysia? We need strong, inteligent,...MPs/ADUNs...
A baby starts to crawl...and then begins to walk(and he/she will stumble and fall)...A good father/mother will do the needful to ensure that the child becomes independent, and be able to survive without any more being dependent on the parent/s....Does the government in Malaysia at all levels do the same to us...OR do they cultivate the idea that you(and I) cannot survive without them - DEPENDENCY?
'Don't worry...we know what is best for you?' - Just keep quite ...do not question, do not have a different view...LISTEN...LISTEN...WE KNOW WHAT IS BEST...
Well, democracy is different - we encourage independence - we encourage people to express themselves, their different views, their questions... We discuss...we try to convince people of what is right ...we may even change our position after listening to the different points and views...YES it takes time and energy, but that is DEMOCRACY...and both the UMNO-BN and the Opposition need to grow up and say, yes that is what we want - TRUE democracy - no more appointments - but democratic elections at all levels - SENATORS, Local Council, Kampung/Taman/Kampung Orang Asli/ Kampung Baru >> and the Federal Government/State Government will work with the people of Malaysia through their democratically elected representatives. People are free to choose who they want...
LOCAL COUNCIL ELECTIONS could not have been held in Selangor and Penang because of some Federal law - so, if the Opposition is to win and form the Federal Government, one of the first assurance must be that they will have Local Council Elections within six(6) months, and thereafter will have elections at kampungs/taman/kampung baru/Kampung orang asli. They could also make it non-partisan - persons standing as individuals - not as party candidates. But let the people choose our own community leaders/representatives democratically - NO MORE GOVERNMENT APPOINTEES.
State government may be concerned as Local Council at present collect a lot of money - so maybe, laws could be passed, requiring the transmission of a certain percentage collected by Local Councils to the State Government for use for the State development and upliftment of the people.
Elect local leaders
Posted on 23 October 2017 - 07:03pm
Last updated on 24 October 2017 - 10:00am
Last updated on 24 October 2017 - 10:00am
AS a general rule, democratic countries hold
elections to elect their leaders, members of parliament, state
assemblymen, and local municipal councillors. Malaysians elect only
members of parliament and state assemblymen whereas local councillors,
including mayors or presidents, are appointed by their state government
leaders.
However, there were local government elections in the past. In fact,
as early as 1857, a hundred years before Malaya achieved independence,
there were elections in Penang Island to elect local councillors.
The ratepayers in George Town elected three of the five municipal commissioners.
But the local government elections in George Town did not last very
long. In 1913, elections were abolished and the colonial government in
the Straits Settlements reverted to appointing the leaders in local
authorities.
In 1950, the Local Authorities Election Ordinance was passed and once
again George Town took the lead in local government elections in 1951.
Nine out of 15 municipal commissioners were elected.
In the following year, elections were held to elect 12 out of 18 councillors in the Kuala Lumpur Municipal Council.
Similar elections were held for some state capitals in Malaya.
In fact, elections were also held in the new villages that were
created to resettle farmers in enclosed settlements as part of the war
against communist insurgents.
Winning candidates in local elections ranged across political
parties. For example, in the 1952 municipal elections in Kuala Lumpur,
nine out of 12 successful candidates were from the Alliance, a coalition
of Umno, MCA and MIC. Two other elected councillors were from the
multiracial Independence of Malaya Party led by Datuk Onn Jaafar. An
independent candidate also won.
In December 1956, George Town Municipal Council became the first
local council in Malaya to be fully elected. The president was chosen
from among the councillors and the first person in the country to hold
the post was Goh Guan Hoe, popularly known as G. H. Goh, of the
Alliance.
Although Goh was popularly addressed as "mayor" he was officially the
president of the council, as George Town was declared a city only on
Jan 1, 1957.
By December 1957, when the head of the George Town City Council was
officially designated as mayor, the Alliance had lost its majority and
D. S. Ramanathan of the Labour Party was elected the first mayor of
George Town. A road in Pulau Tikus has been named after the mayor.
Unfortunately, the progress of democracy in Malaysia was obstructed.
In 1959, elections scheduled for Kuala Lumpur were suspended on the
grounds that the electoral rolls were not ready. The planned elections
were abolished the following year.
Furthermore, the scheduled local government elections for the rest of
the country in 1965 and 1966 were also suspended. The official reason
was "Konfrontasi" (Confrontation) from Indonesia.
It is fair to believe that the real reason for withholding elections
was the Alliance government's fear of losing more local authorities to
the opposition parties.
A Royal Commission of Enquiry (1968) led by Senator Datuk Athi
Nahapan was set up to investigate the workings of local authorities in
West Malaysia. He did a very good job. The report concluded that local
authorities have an important role to play in providing essential
services to the people and that local council elections should remain.
Unfortunately, the Local Government Act of 1976 provided for only
appointed mayors or presidents and councillors. Until today, the leaders
of all local councils, irrespective of whether they are city councils,
municipal councils or district councils are still appointed.
It is time to bring back elected local authorities after more than 50
years, with political participation of local people for better
accountability and transparency. Besides, elected councillors will be
more effective in keeping cities or municipalities safe, clean, vibrant
and interesting. As they are answerable to their electorate, they will
pay more attention to the needs of the people rather.
Appointed mayors or presidents and councillors tend to pay allegiance
to those who appointed them. As a result, they tend to take care of the
state government's interests. - The Sun Daily, 23/10/2017
Bring back local elections
Posted on 16 January 2018 - 10:08am
MALAYSIANS are expected to go to the polls
soon to choose their representatives. It is again timely to raise the
issue of local government elections.
Although Malaysia is a democratic country, only members of Parliament
and state assemblymen are elected by the people. Local councillors are
appointed by mentris besar and chief ministers.
We did have elected local government in the past. In the early 1960s,
the City Council of George Town, Municipal Council of Ipoh and
Municipal Council of Malacca and all the local councils of new villages
were elected.
The last local council elections were in 1963. Local government
elections that were supposed to be held in 1964 and 1965 were suspended.
The official reason given by the federal government was Indonesia's
confrontation with Malaysia.
The suspension, supposed to be temporary, became permanent in 1976,
when the Parliament passed the Local Government Act which only provided
for appointed councillors, abolishing local government elections
altogether.
Even before the 12th general election, the DAP had made calls for
elected local councillors. Some consumers' associations, residents'
associations, academicians and notable personalities, like retired judge
Harun Hashim, also made similar calls.
Elected local government does not necessarily lead to good leadership
and good urban governance. In elections, there is no guarantee that the
good guys win. Scoundrels and bunglers could also get elected.
Besides, local government elections incur additional costs that can be enormous if held once every three years.
Another negative point is that in a multiracial and multi-religious
society, local elections provide opportunities for racists and fanatics
to hijack election campaigns to serve their narrow interests at the
expense of national unity.
A sound argument for elected local government is that elected representation is the cornerstone of democracy.
Hence, the absence of elected councillors is a denial of democracy and accountability at the grass-root level of government.
Even if scoundrels or bunglers were to be elected, they would be, at least, the choice of the people.
According to the Royal Commission of Enquiry into the Workings of
Local Authorities in West Malaysia led by Senator Datuk Athi Nahappan,
if a local government is not elected, it is non-representative.
If we hold fast to the time-honoured concept of "no taxation without
representation", nominated local government undermines the legitimacy of
local authorities to collect assessment rates which are the most
important source of income of the local authorities.
That is why the Royal Commission Report concluded that the merits of
elected local government with all its inherent weaknesses outweigh those
of the nominated ones.
It is only right that Malaysia reintroduces local government
elections. In a democratic society people elect their representatives.
While local government should be elected, there should be no partisan politics.
Local issues, such as safety, pleasant neighbourhoods and vibrant downtowns are non-ideological.
Party politics has no place in local government. Candidates should
contest these elections under their own banners and symbols randomly
drawn from a list.
Non-partisan local government is neither unique nor inconceivable.
Local government in Malaya before 1960 was conducted without parties.
Many cities around the world, including, for example, some of the
largest in the United States such as Los Angeles and Chicago, have
non-partisan elections for their city councillors.
Hopefully in the years to come, race- and religion-based political parties will become insignificant entities.
As such, the workings of the local councils will be rid off
over-emphasis on race and religion rather than on the welfare of
ratepayers.
Each local council should establish commissions to help and advise on
specific issues such as architecture, planning, waste management,
traffic and beautification.
Members of the commissions can be appointed from knowledgeable residents and leaders of trade or professional associations.
This not only lightens the work of councillors, but also ensures that
many ratepayers have a role in the governance of their towns or cities.
In conclusion, elected local councillors are more accountable to ratepayers than appointed ones.
Conducting non-partisan elections for city councillors enables more
democratic representation at all levels of government, and fosters a
better sense of civic and community engagement among residents.
It would go a long way towards instilling pride in our towns and cities. - The Sun Daily, 16/1/2018
George Town's first mayor a fiery man
Saturday, 5 Oct 2013 by wong chun wai
The educator: Ramanathan in his office in 1963. - Photo courtesy of MBS Heritage Centre
PENANG,
or more specifically George Town, still does not have a mayor or Datuk
Bandar although it has long attained the status of a recognised city.
Many towns in Malaysia are eager to seek city status and have to work hard to meet the requirements and standards.
Ironically, there are also those which have attained city status but
in reality, are not functioning as cities, in the eyes of many.
Back in 1956, George Town had become the first municipality in the
Federation of Malaya to have a fully elected council, with G.H. Goh from
the Alliance comprising Umno, MCA and MIC as its first president.
More importantly, on Jan 1, 1957, George Town became a city by a royal charter granted by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II.
George Town, in other words, was the first town in the Federation of
Malaya to be elevated to a city, and the only city in Malaya/Malaysia
until Kuala Lumpur was granted city status in 1972.
The first mayor of George Town was councillor D.S. Ramanathan from the Labour Party of Malaya.
The former teacher, who began his career in Perak, was the president
of the National Union of Teachers from 1959 to 1962 as well as
vice-president of the Malayan Teachers National Congress from 1961-1962.
During that period, he was also an active member of the National Joint Council of Teachers.
But it was his involvement in politics that Ramanathan made his mark in the state’s historical landscape.
He was a founder member of the Pan Malayan Labour Party and was its first chairman.
Politics at the local level was very vibrant back then.
The people at that time elected over 3,000 representatives to head 37
town councils, 37 town boards, 289 local councils and seven district
councils.
George Town was said to be the richest local council with reserves totalling $6.037mil.
Local elections were suspended in 1964 because of the Indonesian Confrontation.
Ramanathan was popular and was elected the mayor of George Town for two terms – 1958 and 1959.
According to a report in The Star by Neil Khor and Khaldun
Malik, after elections were suspended, “Ramanathan accused his local
council colleagues of corruption and mismanagement” leading to the
formation of the Athi Nahappan Commission to study the alleged
corruption and inefficiency of local government in Malaysia.
Despite his socialist inclinations and fiery image, Ramanathan was a dedicated Methodist.
After finishing his term as mayor, he was appointed as the headmaster of the Penang Pykett Methodist School.
The appointment by the Annual Conference of the Malayan Methodists was reported in the Straits Times issue of Dec 15, 1959.
Ramanathan, who passed away in 1973, was married to Ruth Vanniasingham, who now lives in Kuala Lumpur.
But her family members declined The Star’s request for an interview.
Hailing from a prominent Jaffna- Tamil family, her father,
Kanagasa-bapathy Vanniasingham founded the Tamil Methodist Church in
Penang.
According to reports, Ruth was the first person in Penang to obtain the Licentiate of the Trinity College of Music in 1936.
She initially taught Penang’s renowned pianist Dennis Lee before he went to the United Kingdom.
Scott Road, a small road off Air Rajah Road, has been renamed in honour of Ramanathan.
Scott Road is said to have been named after James Scott, who was a partner of Francis Light.
The land on which the then Scott Road passes through was formerly the
Ayer Rajah Estate which belonged to the Brown Family, which has close
ties with the Scotts, according to reports.
Although Ramanathan has been described as “an erstwhile socialist
challenging the colonial and federal authorities for the most
downtrodden people in the country, and stood side by side with Lim Kean
Siew and other socialists” the politicking from within the ranks made
him quit the socialist platform.
With various allegations hurled against him, Ramanathan resigned from
the LPM to become an independent councillor and subsequently an
Alliance councillor, representing the MIC.
The principal: Ramanathan (front, third from right) with the other members of the Penang Pykett Methodist School board.
Not surprisingly, the Left has not spoken highly of him, and has
refused to accord him the kind of respect given to other socialist
comrades.
When Scott Road was renamed in his honour, it sparked off controversy and the road sign was defaced on numerous occasions.
One reader wrote in to The Star, at the height of the
controversy, to say that if any road should be renamed in his honour, it
should be Pykett Road, since he was the headmaster of the school there.
Some said the residents, who are mostly affluent, did not like being linked to someone with a socialist background.
Others claim the controversy was ignited by his former socialist comrades.
But a compromise seems to have been struck, ending the standoff, with
the city authorities putting both the names of Ramanathan and Scott on
the roadsign now.
As a student, then in my secondary years, I spent a fair bit of time
playing football with my school mates at the open field at the then
Scott Road.
Although I lived in Ayer Itam, which was far away from the area, it
did not stop me from cycling all the way to Scott Road, where many of my
friends were living nearby in Pulau Tikus for our games.
My years as a Boy Scout also led me to spend my time there, carrying out my patrol (or team) activities there.
While his politics were contentious, Ramanathan has surely left his
mark as a school principal with many of his former students posting fond
memories of him on the Internet.
In fact, he was also credited for his pioneering efforts to set up a university in Penang.
The idea of a university in Penang was first mooted by him in 1959 in
the State Assembly and later crystalised when he was nominated chairman
of the Penang University Project committee.
The Universiti Sains Malaysia opened in 1969 and is today one of the leading tertiary institutions of learning in Malaysia.
Ramanathan will certainly be remembered for his contributions as a mayor, politician, teacher, unionist and educationist.- Star, 5/10/2013
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