Did Selangor State Government just encroach into the powers of Local Government? The decision to appoint the company was made by the State government ??? Will the Selangor Government be also FULLY LIABLE for wrongdoings of Local Councils/Local Governments in the State of Selangor.
In the same way, the Federal Government cannot appoint a Contractor for a matter that comes within the jurisdiction of the State government ...
'The local council asserted to Malaysiakini that it had “no knowledge” of the link to the Selangor palace, as the decision to appoint the company was made by the state government...'
JURISDICTION - The Local Governments/Councils are suppose to be democratically elected by the people within the jurisdiction of individual Local Governments - but, by reason of the 'Indonesian Confrontation' - local government elections by the people was suspended, and later by Act was changed by State or Federal political appointees who will sit as Mayor/President and Local Councillors in Local government.
Federal Government, State Government and Local Government are separate legal entities. So, if there are any WRONGDOINGS of a Local Government, we take the LOCAL GOVERNMENT to Court - but if State dictates what a Local Council does, we can or rather should be taking the State Government also to court.
If LOCAL COUNCIL/GOVERNMENT elections is not to be restored - then, maybe LOCAL GOVERNMENT itself should be ABOLISHED - to be replaced by State/Federal Government departments taking over all duties/responsibilities of the Local Government - I PREFER restoration of LOCAL GOVERNMENT elections, something that was campaigned for by PKR, DAP, PAS then(when it was part of Pakatan Rakyat), and later AMANAH when it was part of Pakatan Harapan.
LOCAL COUNCIL/Government collects monies that are meant to be spent in the respective Local Government jurisdiction - not for other areas or matters within the State.
LOCAL Government primary (nay ONLY) concern is for the maintenance/development of the area of the Local Government. No business allowed to operate without the CONSENT of the respective LOCAL GOVERNMENT. A factory like LYNAS will not be able to operate without the CONSENT/Approval of the respective LOCAL Government first - of course the State may have additional requirements that may need to be complied, likewise the Federal Government.
LOCAL GOVERNMENT collects monies for property tax annually, State government collects Land Tax. Local Government decides on PARKING FEES, and is duty bound to maintain all roads, signboards within the area of the Local Government - save for State or Federal Roads. Local Government collects business advertisement fees, and also decides on whether to APPROVE a development project within the area of the Local Government - it ensures strict compliance of building standards...
WHY don't the government restore LOCAL GOVERNMENT elections? WHY don't the government restore SENATORIAL elections - so people can choose their Senators - now Senators are State political appointees.
DEMOCRACY please - end the culture of POLITICAL APPOINTEES...
Other PROBLEM - when a company is owned by ROYALTY, governments, political party/personality
Feudal mentality still exist in most Malaysians - and thus the problem when a company is owned(or partly owned) by the Royalty - will this factor lead to 'preferential treatment' in open tenders or direct awarding of projects/contracts - many issues have emerged with regard to such companies, where it is owned in part by the royalty.
...which detailed Raja Muda of Selangor Tengku Amir Shah’s 16.5 percent beneficial stake in Selmax Sdn Bhd, which has received three concessions thus far under the Selangor Intelligent Parking (SIP) scheme.“The appointment (of Selmax as the SIP system manager) was made by the Selangor government with reference to the state executive council,” MPS said when asked if it was aware of Tengku Amir Shah’s shareholding before Selmax’s appointment.
This 'PROBLEM' should be dealt with - (1) Prohibit members of the Royalty from owning companies that are trying to get government approvals/permits including logging, mining, etc... (2) OR prohibit such companies from applying for such permits/licence/contracts/tenders/etc...(3) Prohibit the ROYALTY from owning shares or companies - after all the State is paying Royalties, is it not?)...OR maybe prohibit companies like SELMAX that is partially owned by the Crown Prince of Selangor from trying to get permits/licences/projects in SELANGOR - no problem if it is seeking licence/permits/projects in some other States.
OR should all State Citizens remove themselves from the decision making process when it involves a company where the State Royalty has a part-ownership in the said company. Which State Citizen wants to be seen as 'DISLOYAL' when they decide not to issue permits/licemces/projects to a company that linked by that very State's royalty??
How can the Selangor Chief Minister say NO to the Selangor Sultan or the Crown Prince?
Malaysia, to date, has failed to ADDRESS this problem ...same applies for State owned companies, or State GLCs - or even when some prominent politician is involved.
PARLIAMENT should discuss this issue - and decide how to handle this problem... once and for all...
It is sometimes not the fault of the ROYALTY but some corporations may 'use royalty' to get State contracts and projects. Some companies may even use 'bumiputras' to get contracts - it is not uncommon to see former drivers being appointed DIRECTORS to get contracts - who is the real owner or beneficiary? A problem that also needs to be looked into.
Malaysian businesses, actually owned by 'foreigners', also happens...
in Malaysia, a company must generally have at least 51% of its equity owned by Bumiputera individuals and have a majority of its board of directors and key management positions held by Bumiputera.At least 51% of the company's equity must be owned by Bumiputera individuals or Bumiputera corporations.
There is a problem with the current requirements to qualify one as a 'Bumiputra Company' - even if 51% are truly owned by Bumiputra, the fact that 49% can be owned by foreigners, even agents of Israeli Zionist Regime is a problem. Should we change the DEFINITION of Bumiputra Companies, requiring 51% to be owned by Bumiputra individuals, 40 % by Malaysians, and ONLY 9% or less to be owned by foreigners? OR better still 51% by Bumiputras, and 49% by Malaysians > that way we prevent any FOREIGNERS from reaping benefits from the existing 'preferential treatment' provided for by our Federal Constitution?
The Selayang Municipal Council (MPS) has claimed it was in the dark over a royalty link to a company awarded a concession within its jurisdiction under the Selangor government’s initiative to privatise street parking.
The local council asserted to Malaysiakini that it had “no knowledge” of the link to the Selangor palace, as the decision to appoint the company was made by the state government.
MPS said this in response to queries based on Malaysiakini’s report, which detailed Raja Muda of Selangor Tengku Amir Shah’s 16.5 percent beneficial stake in Selmax Sdn Bhd, which has received three concessions thus far under the Selangor Intelligent Parking (SIP) scheme.
“The appointment (of Selmax as the SIP system manager) was made by the Selangor government with reference to the state executive council,” MPS said when asked if it was aware of Tengku Amir Shah’s shareholding before Selmax’s appointment.
When queried on whether the royalty’s involvement in Selmax was a topic during deliberations before its appointment, MPS affirmed that it has “no knowledge” regarding the matter.
“The concession appointment for parking management in MPS was made by the Selangor government,” it maintained.
MPS, it added, provided an offer letter to Selmax on June 30 for the provision of “smart parking management services” starting July 1.
“However, discussions between both parties were held to reach an agreement on the contents of the letter of acceptance,” it said.
10-year contract, five-year extension option
In an earlier Bourse filing, Selmax’s parent company, ITMAX System Bhd, recorded that Selmax had only received and accepted a revised letter of appointment on Sept 2.
ITMAX System said the amended letter of appointment, dated Aug 29, was awarded by MPS to Selmax for the latter to be the SIP operator.
The filing stated that the appointment has a contract period of 10 years, with an option to extend for an additional five years “subject to the assessment by MPS” and Rantaian Mesra Sdn Bhd, a wholly owned unit of Menteri Besar Selangor (Incorporated) (MBI), tasked with overseeing the SIP rollout.
Based on Malaysiakini’s checks, the heir apparent of Selangor ruler Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah holds a stake in Selmax via two other holding companies: Tanah Perwira Sdn Bhd and Greyscale Holdings Sdn Bhd.
Incorporated in March last year, Tanah Perwira, a minority shareholder of Selmax, is wholly owned by Greyscale Holdings, a three-year-old company in which Tengku Amir Shah owns a majority 55 percent slice.
Besides MPS, two other local councils have also awarded concessions to Selmax for the management of the SIP system: the Shah Alam City Council and the Subang Jaya City Council.
As of press time, the Petaling Jaya City Council is the only local council that backed out of the arrangement with Selmax.
Under the concession agreement with Selmax, the local councils would each be compelled to share revenue from parking fees, monthly passes, two-hour zones, and compounds in a 50-40 percent split with the company, which is set to receive the bigger share.
The remaining 10 percent is intended to go to Rantaian Mesra.
Track record of operating parking systems
Selangor Menteri Besar Amirudin Shari’s aide previously told Malaysiakini that MBI had headed a public request-for-proposal process, which saw the participation of 26 companies, after which only three were called back to present a detailed proposal.
“The company, which was ultimately picked by MBI, had a track record of already operating parking systems in Johor, and was also a publicly listed company,” said Amirudin’s press secretary, Jay Jay Denis.
Graft watchdog C4 Center has since criticised the state government’s apparent lack of transparency in the SIP initiative, warning that the involvement of royalty figures must trigger enhanced due diligence and disclosure mechanisms.
PKR lawmaker Lee Chean Chung has also urged the state government to issue an official explanation on the matter, stressing that the clarification is necessary to ensure that no party, including the royal institution, is subjected to “unnecessary assumptions”. - Malaysiakini, 21/11/2025
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