If Nurul Izzah can do it in less than a month, surely Selangor government can table the Local Government Election Bill in 2013 - not 2014

In 2008, Pakatan Rakyat promised us local council elections but when they came into power in 5 (later 4) States, it seems that they forgot about this. Towards the end of their term of office, there was some efforts displayed by Penang (and later Selangor).

Now, Selangor announces that they will be tabling a Local Government Election Bill ... the odd thing is that it will be done in 2014, and not now or even in 2013. I would not be surprised that the Bill will be table only at end of 2014.

"...The Selangor government is drafting the Local Government Election Bill to be tabled in the state legislative assembly in 2014. Selangor is the second state to announce its intention to introduce the Bill after Penang which will see the state councillors being voted.According to Selangor state exco in charge of local councils Teng Chang Khim, the move will restore the democratic rights of citizens in the state..." TheSunDaily, 1/7/2013, Local Government Election Bill will be tabled in 2014

Come now, it really does not take a long time to prepare a Bill and table it - it could be done in less than a month. It could have, and should have been tabled, in the last term...

Tired of waiting for the government to act, PKR’s Lembah Pantai MP Nurul Izzah Anwar has submitted a Private Member's Bill to Parliament, seeking the abolition of the Sedition Act 1948.Nurul Izzah said the document was sent to the secretary’s office yesterday and that she is “hopeful” and “optimistic” that it will be tabled for debate in the Dewan Rakyat.

...Nurul Izzah said she prepared the entire bill herself.

“They (the speaker and secretary) can always say that government orders or bills can supercede others,” she said, stressing that it was the prerogative of the speaker whether to allow a private member’s bill to be debated.

Nurul Izzah had tabled similar private member bills before, to abolish the Emergency Ordinance, the Printing Presses and Publications Act and the Petroleum Development Act..." - Malaysiakini, 2/7/2013, Nurul Izzah pre-empts move to abolish Sedition Act

If Nurul Izzah can prepare a Bill in less than a month after PRU13, I am sure Selangor State government can do the same. If it is a problem for the State Government, then let an State Legislative Person table it as Private member's Bill. Since it a PR majority State, and the Speaker is also from PR, I am positive that it will be debated and passed soonest.

UNLESS, Pakatan Rakyat do not really want local council elections where the power is with the people to chose their own Local Councillors. Maybe PR, just like the BN, prefers to retain the power to appoint people of their own choosing. I hope not.

Finally, the start of democracy in PR Selangor's kampungs....

Finally, after more than 3 years have lapsed, the Selangor Pakatan Rakyat government has started bringing democracy to the people at the lowest community units - the kampungs, kampung barus, kampung orang aslis and taman perumahan. They are starting with three(3) Chinese villages. Better late than never.

Perak, on the other hand, did democratic elections almost immediately after the Pakatan Rakyat came into power in that state, and that democratic elections happened in over 800 Malay kampungs and several kampung barus (predominantly Chinese new villages).

Malaysians, to a large extend, is not at all democratic especially at the local community levels, local council [local government] levels - and only do have the chance to democratically elect State Legislative Representatives and Members of Parliament once every 5 years. We still do not give the people the right to even democratically elect Senators.

Leaders of the local community levels have been always chosen/appointed by the State governments - the people had no choice but to accept who the government decides is the ketua kampung or community leaders. It was feudal - not democratic. All this was done, allegedly for the 'good of the people' so that they will get the 'best representatives/leaders' which will facilitate efficient transfer of benefits/development, etc. but really, I believe, the main reason is to keep the rakyat passive and powerless, totally dependent on MPs and ADUNs.

If there is democracy at the lowest levels, people will certainly be more involved - there will be questioning and even criticisms when there are failures and other inefficiencies. Democracy also will give people more power - and certainly elected leaders will then have to focus their attention on serving the people effectively and efficiently - if not, they will face 'hell' at community meetings and annual general meetings, and bad leaders will just be rejected and voted out in favour of better persons. With the current system of appointing, much attention of these current community leaders would be the staying in the good books of the influential politicians and political parties that govern the State. These appointed leaders certainly would do very little (or almost no) complaining about government failures with regard the people. After all, we have too often been told that 'government knows best' and people should just accept what the government gives (or does not give) and be happy with that as that is how things are. [Neighbouring Thailand has elections for every levels of the community - and elected reps/leaders tend to serve the people better - and that really is where the people get 'powerful', more critical and more vocal on various real issues. 

There must be a greater effort in restoring democracy at all levels...of the community. There must be greater education about democratic structures and rights - including freedoms. 

Democracy is dangerous for the ruling Federal and State governments - for then the power to choose leaders at local government  and local community levels goes back to the people - and they may not choose an existing State/Federal government's crony or party member/friend as their leaders, and that is the biggest worry. What happens in  BN constituency, when the people chose PAS members as local community leaders... What happens in a Pakatan Rakyat ruled State when they choose an MCA member (or pro-BN person) as the ketua kampung baru? That is the worry of these politicians, but if you do truly respect democracy and the people, you must be willing to allow the people to choose who they want...and then deal with the person chosen as community leaders, irrespective of what party they are from or who they are. 

In any elections, various persons offer themselves as candidates - and there are heated debates and issues between candidates and their supporters but after elections, that is it - and all have to accept those democratically elected and those elected must treat all without discrimination - and certainly no favoritism for those who support them. That is democracy. 

There has been nothing stopping State governments to conduct kampung and local community elections, and it is sad that Selangor is only going to do this now more than 3 years after 2008 GE - but better late than never. After kampung elections, leaders in different areas could be  put in local area committees - and then, it could be left to these different local area committees to chose from amongst themselves or some other from the area as persons to sit in Local Councils - and until we have Local Council Elections, these persons selected by the community could have been elected into the Local Councils. [Even if the ruling State government is so worried that they will lose control of local councils, people chosen by this process could be just a certain number...]

 

Pakatan Rakyat talks about 'reformasi' - and, I certainly hope that this does not just mean changing BN chosen persons in Local Councils, and now inserting PR chosen people. What we want is no more for BN or PR to choose and appoint their own cronies - but for the people to be given back the right to choose their own leaders/representatives at all levels of community.

Pakatan Rakyat's response have been that they needed more time ...and it has been more that 3 years now. At the very least, let us get a firm commitment that they will restore full democracy at all levels of community and return the power to the people to choose their own reps/leaders.

We wonder why just 3 Chinese villages - why not more. Surely at least 3 could have been held for each of the constituencies that has a PR ADUN. 

Electoral roll - a simple walkabout visit to each of the houses in the kampung/kampung baru/taman could have listed all those living there above 21 years (18 years) that are eligible to vote. That list could have been placed on community notice boards - so that people can check and add names missed out or strike out names of persons not from that kampug (1 week for that). Then, there could nominations in 1 week (and to encourage participation, there should be token deposit of say RM10, RM500 is excessive as we know that at least 1/3 of Malaysian workers earn about or less than RM700, and RM500 is 'big money' for some). Then, there would be the day the people come out and cast their votes... it is that simple. 

I am sure that we do not need RM60,000 for 3 kampung elections - all we may need is really about RM500 per kampung - for printing notices, ballot paper, water and lunch for those looking after the balloting process for a day - explain why RM60,000 for 3 kampung elections,.. a bit excessive - could have made 2 low-cost homes. A bad precedence - a it will cost just too much to have elections in the thousands (maybe tens of thousands) of kampungs/kampung barus/tamans in the State.

The first pilot local election for three Chinese villages in Selangor is set to be held starting July 31, the first step by the Pakatan-ruled Selangor state government to revive local council elections which were suspended 46 years ago.

According to an exclusive report by Selangor Times Chinese edition published by the state government today, the three villages are Kampung Baru Sungai Jarom in Jenjarom, Kampung Bagan in Pulau Ketam and Kampung Baru Pandamaran.

The nomination days and polling days are July 24 and 31 for Kampung Baru Sungai Jarom, July 31 and Aug 7 for Kampung Bagan, and Aug 7 and 14 for Kampung Baru Pandamaran. Each village has a one-week long campaign period.

State executive councillor in charge of new village development and illegal factory settlement Ean Yong Hian Wah (right) told Selangor Times that the state cabinet had approved the initiative and allocated RM60,000 for it.

Although the exercise is not legitimate under the current election law, the state government will follow the current Local Government Act and issue appointment letters to the winners for them to begin their two-year tenure.

Only those above 21 who have resided in the villages for at least two years with their MyKad bearing local address are eligible to contest by placing a deposit of RM500.

However they can only contest in their individual capacity instead of representing political parties, said Ean Yong.

He announced that nomination time is between 9am and 10am while polling time is between 8am to 4pm. The results are expected to be out around 8pm on the same day.

These pilot elections will be held according to the general election model except that they will be conducted by local council officials.

“All three polls are directly handled by the state government because police and the Election Commission refused to cooperate. Therefore they will be conducted by local councils,” said the Sri Kembangan assemblyperson.

The elections will use the latest electoral roll updated until June 30, 2010. 

Local government elections were suspended in 1965 by the then-Perikatan government at the height of the Confrontation with Indonesia.

After the Confrontation ended, civil society and the opposition have been calling on the federal government to restore it in order to ensure accountability and democracy of local governments.

This formed part of the opposition's manifesto for the 2008 general election. The previous Perak state government under Pakatan was the first to restore it, electing all 817 Malay village chiefs in the state. However, they were later sacked after BN wrested back Perak. - Malaysiakini, 3/6/2011, Selangor village chiefs election starts on July 31

People vote for civil society representatives to Local Councils in Penang - Will Selangor follow?

Well, Penang leads the way and they had elections to select the civil society representatives to the Local Councils in Penang...

Well, will Selangor follow suit and let civil society choose who they want to represent civil society (including maybe the Professionals) in the various different Local Councils. [At present it is the State government that chooses and appoints - not the people, not the various different civil society groups,....]

We want Local Council elections - but alas the Pakatan Rakyat states are dragging their feet citing various excuses. I believe, that they like the BN before them, would rather pick and chose their own Local Councilors rather than allowing the people to democratically elect their own Local Councilors.

Anyway, what is happening in Penang is impressive - people elect their own civil society representatives to the Local Councils. [Penang has allocated 5 places in the Local Councils for persons from civil society]

Likewise, in Selangor there is similar allocations - so when will civil society be able to exercise their right to choose who will represent civil society in the Local Councils...

Historic local council polls held in Penang

By admin, on 14 November 2010

[Translate]

 

The Penang Forum 3 elections have been a three-in-one process to learn the issues, listen to candidates and vote for civil society representatives to the MPPP and MPSP, says the Penang Forum Steering 
Committee. 

Voters casting their ballots enthusiastically at the Penang Forum 3 polls

More than 300 people participated in an election organised by Penang Forum 3 (PF3) on 14 November 2010. The event was organised to elect five persons each to the MPPP and MPSP. These ten will then be nominated by PF3 as civil society representatives to the two local authorities.

Prior to voting, the participants listened to talks by a serving Councillor and by other Penang Forum representatives about issues related to local council governance. Then they listened to short speeches by all the 24 contestants.

The most interesting aspect of the day’s event was its 3-in-1 feature: an opportunity to learn about the local government issues, to meet and question the candidates, and only then to vote.

Elected to the MPPP were:

• Teo Lee Ken
• Lim Mah Hui
• Chin Khuan Sui
• Loh Swee Heong
• Dalbinder Singh

Elected to the MPSP were:

• Tiun Ling Ta
• Sivagurupatham a/l S Vadivelu
• Teng Kim Chew
• Krishnan a/l Samiah
• Ung Teow Hong

The event was held in the Penang Chinese Girls School Alumni Hall (directly opposite St Nicholas), along Jalan Bagan Jermal. The meeting opened with a forum chaired by former Penang State Government Exco Member Datuk Dr Toh Kin Woon.

The first speaker was Ms Lim Kah Cheng, a three-term MPPP Councillor. She briefed those present about the structure of local government in Penang, about the workings of the MPPP and MPSP, and about the role of a Councillor. She warned that there would be lots of work to do but that the work was satisfying because one would be helping to improve the everyday lives of Penangites.

The second talk was by En Ahmad Chik who spoke on the Penang Forum and of the Forum’s expectations of would-be Councillors. Above all, these Councillors must prioritise the interests of the rakyat and uphold the CAT principles (competency, accountability and transparency). Ahmad called all present to endorse the Penang State Government’s ‘no plastic policy’ which the audience enthusiastically supported by raising their hands and shouting out a resounding ‘Yes’.

Following these talks, the candidates were introduced. Each was allowed to address the hall briefly. The audience also asked the candidates several questions. Earlier, outside the hall, some of the candidates and their supporters were canvassing for votes. Some had put up posters and distributed multi-coloured pamphlets.

Voting began at noon and ran smoothly. Nothing untoward occurred.

At 1.00pm, the counting of votes was conducted on stage in front of the contestants. P Ramakrishnan, president of Aliran, and Ahmad Chik, Penang Heritage Trust Council Member and Penang Forum representative, had been appointed as ‘Election Commissioners’. According to them, the voting and the entire election process had been ‘free, fair and transparent’. They thanked all present for their cooperation
YB Chow Kon Yeow, the Penang State Government Exco Member for Local Government and Transportation, was present to witness the last part of this pioneering event by Penang’s civil society organisations.

Penang Forum expectations of the elected

Prior to 14 November, all contestants had declared that they had read, understood and supported the principles contained in the Penang Forum Declaration, first adopted in April 2008.

Hence the elected are expected to promote the rights of marginalised groups (including women, workers, rural communities, youth, senior citizens, the disabled, homeless, as well as migrants and refugees); to protect Penang’s environment and preserve its heritage; to stress balanced, integrated and sustainable planning; to address and respond to urban services complaints; and to cater to the general interests of the entire Penang society, not just those interests of specific interest groups to which they might individually be affiliated.

All candidates, including the elected, were also informed of the following clause in the Local Government Act 1976, Section 10(2) about eligibility and suitability which reads: “Councillors of the local authority…shall be persons ordinarily resident in the local authority area who in the opinion of the State Authority have wide experience in local government affairs or who have achieved distinction in any profession, commerce or industry, or are otherwise capable of representing the interests of their communities in the local authority area”.

Indeed, all contestants including the ten elected, had declared that they do not hold office in any political party or in any chamber of commerce; have not been convicted as a criminal or declared a bankrupt; and that they do not belong to any association that agitates for racial supremacy or racial hatred.

Penang Forum

Penang Forum is a coalition of more than 40 Penang-based civil society organizations who first came together in April 2008. The steering committee comprises representatives from Aliran, Malayan Nature Society, Penang Heritage Trust, Persatuan Orang Cacat Anggota Malaysia, Suaram Penang, the Tg Bungah Residents Association, Taman Sri Nibong Residents Association, the Women’s Centre for Change, etc.

More information about Penang Forum and PG3 can be obtained from penangforum.net
.
Penang Forum Steering Committee
14 Nov 2010

Source: ALIRAN

Good job MBPJ & the Pakatan Rakyat government?? - Local Council Reforms

At last, there are some positive development in terms of transparency and accountability at the Majlis Bandaraya Petaling Jaya(MBPJ) in the Pakatan Rakyat(PR) governed state of Selangor, where all Local Councillors are still appointed by the State government.

Positive Developments (that I have seen)

1- There is now a schedule for the various upcoming Local Council and Local Council Committee meetings, but still no Agenda (or Aturan Mesyuarat) for especially the Local Council meeting although the table has a column for 'Agenda'. No informing of the public that the meeting is OPEN to the public. 

2- Minutes of the Local Council meetings are now available - but only for the month of Jun and August 2010, i.e.Minit Mesyuarat Majlis Bil 6/2010 and Minit Mesyuarat Majlis Bil 8/2010. What about the earlier Minutes from the time the Pakatan Rakyat Local Council took over? What about the more recent minutes as we are already in November?

3. Accounts - well there is only the Auditor General's Report for year ending 2008 - what about 2009, as it is now November 2010. There also appears to be no significant differences in spending in 2007 and 2008, and hence one wonders whether the wastage of monies alleged of the BN appointed council, is now being continued by the Pakatan Rakyat appointed council. There are also no detailed notes to explain the expenditure - just general terms. How much did the council spend for allowances for MBPJ Councillors, and other payments. How much did they waste in making 'overseas study tours'? What we need is really a detailled comprehensive report and accounts? How many staff? Wages & Benefits? Statutory Payments? Bonuses? How much spend on different community projects? How much was spend on things like 'official uniforms' of Local Councillors (an issue with BN appointed councillors before)? How many spend for parties? for functions? etc. It would also be good to be able to note the different spending activities between the BN and the PR. Or, can we say it is still the same - and nothing really has 'reformed' or 'transformed' under the Pakatan Rakyat.

There is still no annual report (better still quarterly reports) by the MBPJ as a whole, and maybe even the individual local councilors telling us how they spend their time and power as Local Councilors. If they have appointed Peoples' Local Communities - should not their names and the manner they were chosen, with contact email/phone numbers, etc also be available. In fact all Local Councillors must have their own personal blogs where they can tell the people even more of what they did - not just the places they visited, etc - but also their views on some of the local issues of concern.

There are positive developments - but much much more is still required. 

*** I am monitoring the MBPJ, through their websites, as a sample of all other Pakatan Rakyat appointed Local Councils in the various different states they rule.

Some of the earlier posts are as follows:-

MBPJ - A sad reflection of Pakatan Rakyat, No Transparency, Accountability, Not Pro-People - Am I wasting my time?

 MBPJ - More proposals for reform & wondering the reason for not implementing simple reforms already suggested..

MBPJ meeting are open to the public - but people do not know this, or when, or what is on the agenda....

Meeting of Local Council (MBPJ, etc) should be open to the public...

Majlis Bandaraya Petaling Jaya - No changes because Mayor and staff following 'old policies and old ways...' of BN - so, not Pakatan's fault

Majlis Bandaraya Petaling Jaya - Where is the transparency and accountability?

MBPJ is still not transparent, accountable and giving effect to Reformasi, 'People Power'...Makkal Sakti, Kuasa Rakyat..

When NGO activist join governments, Local Councils... do they get 'confused' about their struggle? CONPAC?

There has been much criticisms about the lack of openess, the lack of transparency, the lack of accountability, the lack of democracy .... and these are things that civil society and human rights activist will be angry and very vocal about on behalf of the ordinary people.

When the Pakatan Rakyat State governments, decided to appoint local councillors and proclaimed that about 25%  of the Councillors will be from NGOs, civil societies,... there was much elation and hope. Of course, we all were hoping that these appointment by the State governments would be a short term measure, and believed that the 1-year (and not 3-year) appointments were an indication that soon we will be heading for Local Council elections...or if not some sort of democratically people-chosen councilors...but alas, there was the 2nd 1-year appointment, and then the 3rd 1 year appointment....and there really seem to be no indication that we will be having Local Council elections - or the usage of some other democratic process where the people will choose councillors.

What is sad, is that the Pakatan Rakyat government seem to be very much like its UMNO-led BN State governments, and appointments are on a quota system, i.e. PKR:DAP:PAS:NGO. And, that alone seem to be the criteria...

It was from the more vocal advocate groups for Local Council elections, transparency, accountability,.... that the State government appointed and filled the NGO quota. [Remember now that these persons chosen, were not persons chosen by the NGOs/Civil Society's as a whole - i,e, there was a meeting and the NGO/Civil Society groups forwarded names to the State government. The appointment was by the State Government - and they chose suitable persons...Hence, these persons appointed under the NGO/Civil Society quota  are not 'wakil NGO'  or 'civil society reps' chosen democratically, and as such they really have no reporting obligation or duty to be the representatives of NGOs/Civil Societies, do they now. They generally seem to have been co-opted into the local government ....into the Pakatan Rakyat government and have lost their individuality and their critical nature.]

On 24th March, we suddenly saw something happening with regard these NGO/Civil Society Local Councillors, when they launched CONPAC ... and, the hope was that silence would finally be broken...and true to being advocates for human rights, justice,... they would start telling us all that is wrong ...and their plans to bring about pro-people pro-environment changes... [One should appreciate that other reports say that this group was formed in November 2009.]

NGO & Professional councilors are often seen as an informal grouping of civil society representatives & ordinary professionals. We are not bound together with any common platform or manifesto except for general assumptions that we stand for certain principles based on Democracy, Justice and Human Rights.

We do not have a cohesive system with a clear representative to act as the “coordinator” of our “NGO & Professional councilors grouping” unlike political party based councilors who have a system of “party whips” to act as a coordination, support and communications system amongst their councilors.

Today we the NGO and professional councilors from different local councils in Selangor State are establishing and launching a “Coalition of NGO & Professional Councilors” (CONPAC). This important and new initiative is to provide a support network and coordination mechanism for NGO and Professional councilors in Selangor state and hopefully and eventually in other “Pakatan Rakyat” led State governments.

We therefore invite members of the media and civil society organizations to witness the launching of the CONPAC. This is a very significant event and the first time in the political history of local governments in Malaysia. - (CONPAC) Coalition of NGO & Professional Councillors launching

And, we waited...and the in June, CONPAC came out with a statement ...just before the next round of 1-year appointment of Local Councillors..it was good to know that they were still calling for Local Council Elections...

Therefore, in this spirit, CONPAC reiterates its call for local council elections to be revived in all States and especially the Federal government, who were in fact responsible for dismantling this democratic process in 1965, to allow it to take place.

However, since the system of appointment of local councillors will still be practised for the coming term of July 2010 to June 2011, CONPAC recommends the following:

● To maintain the promised allocation of 25 per cent quota for NGO and professional candidates.

● To include two carefully identified representatives from a credible civil society body such as the Coalition for Good Governance (CGG) to be part of the committee to finalise the list of local councillors.

● To publish the CV of all shortlisted local councillor candidates in different electronic and print mass media, including internet sites and even paid advertisements in all major daily newspapers in all languages before the finalisation of the appointments. As for those councillors who will be reappointed, to publish the performance assess- ment conducted by the  State government to enable public feedback on their past term performance in service.

● To provide a channel for all citizens to view, comment and give feedback on the candidates to ensure people’s participation in these appointments.

Finally, we would like to express the above calls are issued in the spirit of transparency and accountability in the pursuit of achieving a truly democratic and transparent local government. - The Malay Mail, 10/6/2010, Ensure transparency when appointing local councillors - Democratic reforms needed for revival of local council elections

We see that save for the one paragraph about elections, they seem to be more concerned that the next appointment...

Then, again we heard from CONPAC - and their grievance was that there seem to have been a drop in the numbers(percentage) of NGO/Civil Society Councillors...

CONPAC AND CGG held a press conference in the DEWAN SIDANG UNDANGAN NEGERI in SUK Shah Alam today at 1pm (12th July 2010) to register our serious concern and disappointment with the process on how the local councilor appointments have been handled. Some 30 NGO members including about 12 NGO-professional councillors (both present and former) were there to meet the 15 or so press members and also handed a memo (read below) to the Mentri Besar Selangor Tan Sri Khalid Ibrahim. He assured us there will be a meeting to discuss these issues in detail. We were not able to meet YB Ronnie Liu but we also delivered a similar memo to him through his office. 

 

CONPAC and CGG will continue to pursue the MB for the meeting hopefully this week even amidst the ongoing State Assembly sittings! We must really impress strongly upon the state and all the component parties of the Pakatan Rakyat government that appointment of NGO and professional councilors is not a "WELFARE ACT" as many of them might think! BUT our presence actually ensures that the PR government has really taken seriously the participation of non political party councilors in governance. This is to ensure that there will be 25% councilors who will be able to perform their duties free of political interests and influences.

Remember, that the appointing of representatives of civil society as Local Councillors was also practiced during the UMNO-led BN's governance of the State. But the numbers were minimal. I do know that people from FOMCA and Selangor  Federal Territory Consumer Association (SCA) have previously been appointed.

CONPAC - 

Professional Councilors - What is this really? 

Are they doctors, lawyers, architects, engineers, dentists, teachers, nurses, academicians... professionals that have now been appointed as Local Councillors? Do they include those that are members of the Pakatan Rakyat and friends - i.e. PKR, PAS, DAP & PSM?

Or are they professionals that are not members of these 4 parties? maybe belonging to no political party or Opposition political parties (i.e. the BN parties)

NGO Councillors - Are they councillors who are involved in Non-Governmental Organisations(NGOs)? Well, this again is a very big list as even political parties, trade unions, employer's associations, Malaysian Bar, sports clubs, etc are all theoretically NGOs.Again, does it include members of PKR, PAS, DAP & PSM? If not, why not? Do they lose their identity as NGO/Civil Society activist just because they have exercised their political right to be a member of a political party?

Or, is this group really a coalition of persons not members of PKR,DAP, PAS (and maybe PSM) who are involved in NGOs and/or are professionals...

Maybe, a name change should be considered - Non-Pakatan Rakyat Independent Local Councillors. This way other 'independents' will not be left out, and the nature of the group will be clear.

I hope that this "CONPAC' will also start making public stands calling for greater transparency and accountability in these Local Councils in Selangor and other Pakatan Rakyat States...They should call for:-

1- That all Local Council Meeting shall be open to the public

2- That there should be public notification of all upcoming Local Council Meetings, time, date, venue and agenda.

3 - That all minutes of the Local Council shall be freely available to the public. That it be posted on the relevant Local Council websites. [Worse case scenario : That a summary of all the decisions and matters discussed be made public.]

4- That the annual report of the activities of the Local Council, with relevant statistics  and certainly full income-expenditure accounts be made available to the public, at including the relevant Local Council websites. [For MBPJ, I cannot see their Annual Report & Accounts for 2008, 2009...]

5- That the biodata of all Local Councillors be made available to the Public. Party Membership, profession, etc should all be made available to the public. Who are the PAS appointed, DAP appointed, PKR appointed, PSM appointed, persons from the NGO (which NGO?), professionals, academics, etc...

6 - That all Local Councilors shall have a Blog/Website in which they will highlight their activities, concerns, issues and relate with the members of the public in an open, transparent manner..

After 2 years plus, sitting as Local Councillors, it is time for CONPAC to come out with a report - focusing also on the changes that have been brought in the Local Councils and its workings since Selangor was taken over by a Pakatan Rakyat government. Maybe, there should also be a comprehensive list of recommendations for the improvement of not just the appointment/elections of Local Councillors but all aspects of the working of the Local Council.

How are the Local Councilors relating to the people in their respective 'constituents'?

Are there regular monthly public meetings with all the people in the constituents - easy, since the Dewans(Halls) are under the Council. So, all we need is for public notices, and then the Local Councillor can go have a dialogue with the people... not just give a long speech ...but a question-answer session, not just questions from the people for the Councillor to answer...but also questions to the people to get their views, opinions...

 How many councillors had such a meeting? 

MPP - this is supposed to be some people's representative council. I believe they have this in MBPJ. Were the members of this body democratically elected by the people? If not, we can change things...How do we democratically elect these people?

In a Taman(or Kampung Baru) - letters are sent out to the people inviting them to a meeting at the Local Town Hall (or some suitable place) on a particular evening or week-end, telling them that there will be elections conducted to elect a community comittee - Chair, Deputy, Secretary, Treasurer, AJKs.. and on that day, elections will be conducted overseen by the  relevant Local Councillor. Then the committee shall be asked to chose their representative to the said people's representative council in the area overseen by the Local Councillor. It is best to suggest that an alternative rep is also choosen. Now for every MPP meeting letters shall be sent to the Chairman and the relevant reps - Minutes will also be circulated. It is something that can be easily done - elections and true people chosen reps. Of course, we hope Local Councillors will not just follow the State government and appoint their own cronnies... I am sure the members of CONPAC will do the right thing, and let the people choose...

CONPAC members should use their Blogs to keep the public and their constituents informed of things.. It will be good that at least once a month there will be a big public meeting/dialogue session open to all in their relevant constituents. 

We also need to start looking at monitoring our Local Councilors... and maybe some NGO/Civil Society group (not the Local Councilors) should take up this task - A report on the performance of Local Councils, and individual councilors would be good. Maybe, we could give some award to the best Local Council in terms of being open, transparent, democratic, pro-people, pro rights... and even special awards to good Local Councilors. This, I believe will help us improve our Local Councilors and Local Councils. What do you think?

In many of my past postings, I have made concrete suggestions of simple things that could be done to improve the running of our Local Councils...Just click and the label "Local Council" and "Local Government' to read them. In many of my posting, I have focused my attention on Majlis Bandaraya Petaling Jaya, as a sample of the Local Councils in the PR governed States....

Some of the earlier posts are as follows:-

MBPJ - A sad reflection of Pakatan Rakyat, No Transparency, Accountability, Not Pro-People - Am I wasting my time?

 MBPJ - More proposals for reform & wondering the reason for not implementing simple reforms already suggested..

MBPJ meeting are open to the public - but people do not know this, or when, or what is on the agenda....

Meeting of Local Council (MBPJ, etc) should be open to the public...

Majlis Bandaraya Petaling Jaya - No changes because Mayor and staff following 'old policies and old ways...' of BN - so, not Pakatan's fault

Majlis Bandaraya Petaling Jaya - Where is the transparency and accountability?

MBPJ is still not transparent, accountable and giving effect to Reformasi, 'People Power'...Makkal Sakti, Kuasa Rakyat..

 

History: Of Local Council Elections, PRM, Labour Party of Malaya and the Socialist Front(SF)

Of Local Council Elections, PRM, Labour Party of Malaya and the Socialist Front(SF)

This is an article from ALIRAN  that reminds us not only about what happened to Local Council elections, but also about significant role played by Parti Rakyat Malaysia(PRM) as a political party, and as part of the Socialist Front together with the Labour Party of Malaya. Let us not forget history...and let history renew our commitment in our struggle for a better Malaysia...

Restoring the Third Vote, reclaiming our democracy

Friday, 09 July 2010 18:31

If the Local Government Act stands in the way of local government elections, then it must go. It is not because we are lawless but because we value democracy, writes Tan Pek Leng. The fate of local elections in Malaysia is a sad reflection of the state of democracy in the country. Never having had the chance to be firmly rooted, it was rudely trampled upon when it attempted to grow, leaving it mangled, hidup segan mati tak mahu. A testimony of our failed state is how our democratic rights are reversed rather than advanced. The third vote, our constitutional birth right as a nation, was forcibly taken away - no, not in the interest of the citizenry, but as a political expediency by the ruling coalition to cripple the legitimate Opposition. More than half a century after Independence, we are battling to get back to square one – to get back this third vote. Much of the recent discourse on how to restore local elections revolves around what the law allows and what it doesn’t. “Does Section 15 of the Local Government Act 1976 (LGA) override the Local Government Election Act 1960 (LGEA) and thus prohibit all local elections?” “Does Section 1 of the LGA exempt the State Governments from the restrictions imposed by Section 15 of the same act and thus allow them to invoke the LGEA to restore local elections?” This legal conundrum appears to have got the Pakatan Rakyat State Governments tangled in knots for a while. The Perak and Selangor state governments attempted to cut the Gordian Knot by asking the Elections Commission (EC) to conduct local elections in their respective states, only to be told by the EC that this would be against the law. The question is: why are we allowing ourselves to be dictated by a piece of legislation of such questionable legitimacy? A look at the process that culminated in the promulgation of the LGA will lay bare the many anti-democratic acts that abetted it. Thirteen years of local elections It is the height of irony that the Umno-MCA coalition (the precursor to the Umno-MCA-MIC Alliance and subsequently the Barisan Nasional) first laid claim to fame in the 1952 Kuala Lumpur municipal elections, when it won nine of the 11 seats. The Alliance continued to perform well for the next few years because the opposition parties had yet to consolidate themselves. The tide began to turn by the end of 1956, however, when the Alliance suffered unexpected defeats in local elections in Penang and Melaka. The Penang debacle, in which the Alliance failed to win a single of the eight seats contested, was attributed primarily to the harsh action taken to crush the Chung Ling High School students’ protest against the conversion of their school into a national-type school. The downward slide continued and by the December 1957 local polls, the Socialist Front (SF) – a coalition of the Labour Party of Malaya (LPM) and the Party Rakyat Malaya (PRM) – had gained enough seats to take over the Penang City Council. In this series of local elections, the Alliance garnered 18 seats, less than half of the 37 contested. A year later, the trend was reversed, with the Alliance doing better than they themselves expected, clinching victory in four of the five contested seats in Penang. But how credible were these wins? The names of so many previously registered voters were missing from the electoral rolls in George Town, Butterworth and Bukit Mertajam that the EC contemplated postponing the elections for these councils. To be fair, though, the raising of assessment rates by the SF-controlled Penang City Council and the splitting of opposition votes by the People’s Progressive Party (PPP) contributed to the Alliance success. The Alliance achieved a similar apparent triumph in the Kuala Lumpur local elections of 1958, winning three out of four wards. However, the total opposition votes in the four wards were greater than the Alliance votes. Once again, dissipation of votes among the opposition parties had handed the victory to the ruling coalition. Overall, the Alliance took 43 of the 57 contested seats as well as 19 unopposed ones in the 1958 series of local elections. On the face of it, this ostensible Alliance dominance continued through to the 1960s – with them winning 430 seats to the Opposition’s 148 in the 1961 local elections and 449 seats to the Opposition’s 184 in 1963. Examining the popular vote garnered, though, tells an entirely different story. In 1961, the Alliance obtained 218,428 of the votes cast compared to 227,104 for the Opposition; in 1963, it was 251,970 votes for the Alliance versus 263,000 votes for the Opposition. In both cases, the Alliance had won less than half the popular vote but more than double the number of seats. Gerrymandering was already well entrenched within a few years of Independence. Having the upper hand in the numbers game did not satisfy the Alliance; it irked them that the choice urban councils were out of their grasp. First, the Penang City Council in 1958; then, the Melaka Municipal Council in 1961; followed by the Seremban, Kluang and Bentong Municipal Councils in 1963 came under the control of the SF. The PPP had also taken a firm grip on Ipoh by 1961. Under the pretext of the volatile political climate engendered by the Confrontation with Indonesia, the Alliance Government suspended local elections on 1 March 1965. The Speaker refused to allow a motion by the SF Members of Parliament calling for a debate on the issue. But this supposedly precarious political situation had not prevented the government from holding state and parliamentary elections in 1964. The Alliance realised that the Opposition was better able to win control of local councils than state or parliamentary constituencies and was certainly not keen to allow them free play on these platforms. War of attrition The foul means adopted by the Alliance to stem the challenge of the Opposition was not limited to electoral sleight of hand. Detention without trial put many experienced cadres of the SF (then the strongest opposition party) out of action, threw the party organisation into disarray and weakened its capacity to play a meaningful part in the electoral process. The first mass arrest of political opponents took place only a little more than a year after Merdeka, on 1 October 1958, with the detention of 109 persons. The situation did not improve after the end of the Emergency in 1960 as the Internal Security Act (ISA) was introduced to allow the government to continue the practice of detention without trial. SF leaders and members were frequent victims of the ISA throughout the 1960s, in big operations or small. Among the instances of mass arrests that targeted large numbers of SF, in particular LPM, members were those executed: •    between November 1960 and February 1961, with a total of 60 persons arrested, including SF leaders and local councillors; •    in December 1962, when more than 50 persons were arrested throughout Malaya as a prelude to the formation of Malaysia and the Operation Cold Store, which decimated the Left in Singapore with the arrest of more than 120 political leaders and trade unionists; •    in March and June 1964, at the height of the Confrontation with Indonesia, when Malay leaders from the SF and Pas were the main targets, but many LPM state and branch level leaders were also nabbed; •    in the early months of 1966 when about 50 LPM and PRM cadres were arrested (SF had split up in December 1965); •    on 25 October 1966, when about 100 members of LPM and PRM were arrested following demonstrations organised by the two parties against US President Lyndon Johnson during his visit to Malaysia. Between 1966 and 1968, an estimated 250 protests and demonstrations were held in various parts of the country, each to be met with repression and arrests; •    on 9-14 November 1968, when some 140 LPM, PRM and trade union cadres were detained following the confessions of former LPM National Chairman Koh Kay Cham and Assistant Secretary-General Loh Yuen Wah upon their release from ISA detention. As in 1967, not a month passed in 1968 without the detention of dissidents. •    in the aftermath of the May 13 riots of 1969, when the government once again found the excuse to decimate the LPM and PRM further through arrests of their leaders and members. The arrests were systematically and strategically deployed to deprive the SF of its leaders and more experienced cadres at the national, state and branch levels. This was combined with the banning of certain divisions and branches of the Front. The continuous lopping off of the leadership echelons left the organisational structure of the LPM, in particular, in shambles and a combination of bans on political grounds and deregi-strations on administrative technicalities reduced the number of LPM branches from 224 in 1967 to 24 by 1972. The party was finally deregistered by order of the Registrar of Societies on 6 September 1972. Eleven years of suspension Suspending local elections may have prevented the Opposition from making further inroads into the local councils, but it did not return the “lost” councils to the Alliance. How more efficiently can they wrest back these councils than by Executive decree? Whether it was legitimate did not enter into the discussion. The case of Penang was instructive. D S Ramanathan, former Chairman of LPM and the first Mayor of Penang, peeved with the party by 1963, accused the SF-controlled City Council of corruption and malpractices. The Alliance government could not move against the council yet as it was still firmly in the grip of the SF. The opportunity arose in January 1966 when the SF lost control of the council after another of its former stalwarts and Penang Mayor, Ooi Thiam Siew, quit the party and the PRM councillor chose to align with him. It was a godsend for Chief Minister, Wong Pow Nee, who immediately constituted a commission to inquire into the allegations brought forth by Ramanathan, although he had professed that he could offer no evidence for them. On 1 July 1966, three days before the commission was to commence its probe, Wong Pow Nee announced that the State Government would take over the functions of the City Council. The commission completed its inquiry in November 1967 and found that “although there were irregularities and inefficiencies in the council’s administration, there was no hard evidence of outright bribery”. When calls were made for the City Council to be reconvened as the reasons for its temporary suspension no longer existed, the State Government announced that they had no intention to relinquish control of the Council until fresh elections were held. And how was that to happen when local elections had been suspended indefinitely? Another trick deployed by the Alliance is one we are now very familiar with – enticing defections. It worked its magic in Melaka. On 24 March 1965, three SF members of the Melaka Municipal Council declared they were turning Independents; six days later, one of them was installed as the Deputy President. This was a very significant appointment as the President, Hasnul Hadi of the SF, was then in detention. But the defections were not sufficient to deprive the SF of their control over the council. The final coup took place in September 1966 with the takeover of the council by the Melaka State Government. The respective State Governments similarly imposed their illegitimate hold over the Seremban, Johore Bharu and Bentong Municipal Councils – the takeover of the Melaka and Bentong Councils occurring after the official termination of Confrontation in August 1966. Further, the end of the Confrontation did not mean the end of the suspension of local elections although the conflict was the sole reason cited for putting them on hold. The clamour in Parliament and State Assemblies for the reinstitution of local elections fell on deaf ears. The Athi Nahappan Commission The Federal Government had other plans in mind. In June 1965, three months after the suspension of local elections, they appointed the Athi Nahappan Commission to look into the functioning and administration of the local councils, purportedly with a view to improving and streamlining them. To the chagrin of the Alliance Government, the Commission’s report, completed in December 1968, strongly supported local elections. Instead of implementing the recommendations of the Commission, the Federal Government appointed a Cabinet Committee to study the implications of the Athi Nahappan Report. The Committee was also a disappointment to the Government because it endorsed most of the recommendations of the Commission, including the one on local elections. The Alliance Government went for a third strike: instructing the Development Administration Unit (DAU) of the Prime Minister’s Department to undertake a further study. The pliant DAU, in 1971, advocated setting aside the recommendations of the Athi Nahappan Commission. With this spurious justification, the LGA was drafted and passed into law in 1976. By that time, most of the opposition parties had been co-opted into the Barisan Nasional (BN), formed in 1973, and there was no effective voice left to raise objections against the passage of the Act. 34 years of ban Throughout the three decades and more since the LGA denied us our fundamental right to the third vote, the issue has not died away. Unfortunately, with the BN’s overwhelming dominance in the Parliament, the demands for the restoration of local elections have been treated as mere irritants, undeserving of attention. It was only with the tsunami of 8 March 2008 turning the tide that the issue has received a new lease of life. Hence, the momentum must not slack. Why must we keep the issue alive? Because the chronicle of the abolition of the third vote is reflective of the larger narrative of the steady subversion of democratic institutions in the country. The underhand tactics deployed by the ruling coalition to dismantle popularly elected local governments are similarly used to undermine democracy at the state and national levels: •    The consistent use of the ISA to emasculate the Opposition; •    The tampering of electoral rolls, be it to make registered voters vanish or phantom voters appear; •    Gerrymandering to ensure that they get more seats than they deserve based on the number of votes garnered; •    The use of their strength of numbers to bulldoze through legislative and constitutional amendments which are to their advantage, no matter how undemocratic; •    The resort to Executive decree when the popular will cannot be bent to their favour. Not to continue campaigning against the illegitimate deprivation of the third vote is therefore risking similar subversion of the first and second. ... still counting The campaign is only just picking up momentum, the project is very much a work in progress. There is no telling how much longer it will take to restore local elections. But one thing is for sure, if we do not keep the pressure on, we will have many more years to count before the ban is lifted – or worse yet, have all hopes snuffed out.                                                Another thing is for sure: the LGA has no business obstructing us from reclaiming full democracy. If this law stands in the way, this law must go. It is not because we are lawless but because we value democracy. Tan Pek Leng is an Aliran member

Another year with no Local Council elections...or people chosen councillors for Selangor

Well, the third annual appointment for Local Councillors in Pakatan Rakyat governed Selangor. 

Will we ever get Local Council Elections? Or even some other way where the Local Council members are chosen by the people in the area?

Backgrounds of the Local Councilors please. Why were they chosen?

Who were chosen because he was a member of DAP, PAS and/or PKR? - Disclose this...be open

Who is a member of DAP, PAS and/or PKR? or some other political party? Disclose this ...be open

Who are the members of the NGO? Civil Society? - Disclose this...be open

Who are those from local residents associations/groups? - Disclose this

Who are the professionals [lawyers, doctors, dentists, accountants, auditors, engineers, ...) ? - Disclose this

Who are the businessman, contractors, etc? - Disclose this

And, how many members of UMNO, MCA, MIC, GERAKAN, ...other BN component parties were appointed Councillors?

There really must be information about each and every Local Councillor - also a declaration of assets and interest, including companies/businesses their family members are involved in. Presently, only names and addresses are given, with no background information at all - WHY? Be open....be transparent.

Selangor state govt unveils new councillors list

PETALING JAYA: The Selangor state government has set up a 20-member local government advisory council comprising former councillors and members of NGOs and professional bodies.
Mentri Besar Tan Sri Abdul Khalid Ibrahim said the advisory body was independent and would not interfere with the running of the councils.

“They will take on an advisory role on policies and strategies. They provide recommendations to the state executive council in charge of local government headed by Ronnie Liu,” he said after releasing a list of 288 councillors for the state’s 12 local councils here yesterday.

He said the advisory council would also focus on issues like implementing local council elections, waste management contracts and welfare of local council employees.

Liu said the advisory council members would be paid a “slightly higher” allowance than the councillors but the amount had not been fixed.

“They will hold meetings at least once every two months,” said Liu.

List of Selangor councillors for the 2010/2011 term

Shah Alam City Council (MBSA)
1. Abd Manaf Yusoff
2. Adzhar Maludin
3. Ang Leng Kiat
4. Azli Yusof
5. Datuk Seri Indah Diraja Datuk Abu Bakar Abdul Hamid
6. Dr Daroyah Alwi
7. Ganabatirau Veraman*
8. Izham Hashim
9. K. Gunasekaran*
10. Kamarudzaman Sanusi
11. Mariam Abdul Rashid
12. Mesni Mohd Dahlan*
13. Mohd Harris Abu Bakar
14. Mohd Ismahali Ridzwan Ismail*
15. Ng Boon Teck
16. Noraini Hussin*
17. Norhalim Sirome
18. Pushpa Lingam Sinnakanu*
19. Raja Sarinah Raja Alias*
20. Sivarajan Arumugam
21. Tan Ah Kow @ Tan Sie Wai
22. Tengku Ahmad Tengku Kasim*
23. Yogasigamany Krishnasamy *
24. Zulkhairy Mohd Nasar*

Petaling Jaya City Council (MBPJ)
1.Ahmad Yusof Ludin
2.Anthony Siva Balan Thanasayan
3.Chan Chee Kong
4.Cynthia Manonmani Michael Gabriel
5.Derek John Fernandez
6.Ghazali Shaari
7.Halimey Abu Bakar
8.Jeyaseelen T. Anthony *
9.Kamarudin Suhaimi
10.Kandiah Subramaniam *
11.Khairul Anuar Ahmad Zainuddin *
12.Latheefa Beebi Koya
13.Mahharul Ismail
14.Mak Khuin Weng
15.Muzammil Hafiz
16.Prof Madya Dr Melasutra Md Dali
17.Richard Yeoh Yong Woi
18.Selvarajan Rathinam
19.Syed Abd Malik Syed A. Hamid Al Jafree
20.Tang Fui Koh
21.Terence Tan Teck Seng
22.Tiew Way Keng
23.Tiong Boon Keong
24.Tony Cheong Siew Thong *

Klang Municipal Council (MPKlang)
1. Andy Tan Hwai Yih *
2. Azmizam Zaman Huri
3. Datuk Setia Diraja Datuk Abdul Ghani Pateh Akhir
4. Deepakaran Karuppiah *
5. Dr Nendu Chelian *
6. Hamidah Mat Som
7. Ismail Arsat
8. Ivan Ho Fook Keong
9. Jamuliddin Elias
10. Lim Lip Suan
11. Maneyvannan Velue
12. Mat Irwan Ismail
13. Mohd Azmi Husain @ Yusoff *
14. Nalan M. Muniandy @ Balan *
15. Ng Swee Seng *
16. Noor Najhan Mohd Salleh *
17. Nor’ain Eusoff
18. Prof Madya Choo Teck Keong
19. Selvadurai Subramaniam
20. Sundarajoo Periasamy *
21. Tai Teck Chuan
22. Tan Heng Kim
23. Tee Boon Hock
24. Yew Boon Lye

Subang Jaya Municipal Council (MPSJ)
1. Arumugam Kalimuthu
2.Azizan Jamaluddin *
3.Cheah Sang Soon
4.Chong Hoong Ming
5.Edward Ling Sieak Meeng *
6.Gan Kam Seng *
7.Ismail Kamal Abdul Rahman
8.Jaberi Ami *
9.Keshminder Singh K.Karam Singh
10.Loka Ng Sai Kai *
11.Michael Tamilarason K.Nadaysen
12.Mohd Nasir Yusof
13.Ng Sze Han
14.Noor Azam Aziz *
15.Norhesni Ismail
16.Pooi Weng Keong
17.Rajiv Rishyakaran
18.Robert Tan Siang Chiok
19.Roslan Shahir Mohd Shahir
20.Sapiyan Mohd Din
21.Stephen Chin Sou Bong
22.Sufari Tinnin
23.Tai Cheng Heng
24.Tan Jo Hann

Ampang Jaya Municipal Council (MPAJ)
1. Abdul Jalil Hasan
2. Abdul Latif Shaari
3. Ali Ismail
4. Azlan Mat Din*
5. Cheong Chye Wah
6. Ee Wai Leong*
7. Hamsah Djabir*
8. Jafrien Muhammad
9. Lee Shok Jing
10. Mat Jusoh Dollah*
11. Meor Rithuan Mohamed Said
12. Mohamad Samat*
13. Nik Md Zain Nik Mohamad
14. Razali Ramly
15. Sharifah Zaharah Syed Agil*
16. Sian Keng Eng*
17. Soorianarayanan
18. Subramaniam Rengasamy*
19. Supiramany
20. Tnew Kon Huang
21. Wan Hasrina Wan Hassan
22. Wong Khai Pun
23. Yazid Alias*
24. Zambri Kamaruddin*

Selayang Municipal Council (MPS)
1. A Rahim b. Ahmad Kasdi
2. Abdul Majid Hasan*
3. Abd Rahim Abd Wahab
4. Datuk Paduka Raja Datuk Wan Mahmood Pa’ Wan Teh
5. Gunarajah R. George
6. Hasbullah Mohd Ridzwan
7. Husnal Azahari Sanusi*
8. Khatifah Zamani Sulong
9. Lee Khai Loon
10. Lee Sew Hong*
11. Lim Ching How
12. Low Hock Kheng*
13. Maznah Abd Aziz
14. Md. Sabri Md. Taib
15. Murugan @ Murugeshu Arumugam
16. Nanto Gopalan Krishnan Rajoo*
17. Roslin Mohd. Rosli
18. Salsasiah Disa*
19. Tan Hui Chuan
20. Tan Pok Shyong*
21. Tengku Zulpuri Shah Raja Puji
22. Zulkifli Hamzah
23. Zaidy Abu Talib*
24. Zulnizam Shahrani

Sepang Municipal Council (MPSp)
1. Azlan Mohd Samin
2. Foo Weng Fui
3. Gunalan Velayuthan
4. Hajarah Abu Samat*
5. Hidrat Samsudin
6. Jashela Ayuni Shahidan
7. Kapt (B) Jaafar Pangat
8. Lau Weng Chan
9. Lwi Kian Keong
10. Maanor Yusoff*
11. Mashadi Saein*
12. Mohamad Azif Mohamad Aris*
13. Mohamed Makki Ahmad
14. Mohd. Haslin Hassan
15. Prof. Tengku Datuk Dr Jamaluddin Tengku Mahmud Shah Al Haj
16. Pulanthran Munisamy
17. Rajalingam Ramayah*
18. Ramlan Sajadi
19. Salehudin Muhamad
20. Santokh Singh Perumal*
21. Sivakumar Periasamy*
22. Teo Lian Sang*
23. Titus Gladwyn S G Gomez
24. Wong Chuan How

Sabak Bernam District Council (MDSB)
1. Abu Talib Bujang
2. Ahzaman Mat Noor
3. Anna Ramasamy Muthan*
4. Azhar Achil*
5. Azman Masri
6. Datuk Baharin @ Abdullah Mat Akhir
7. Dr Osman Sabran*
8. Faiza Samsi*
9. Hamidah Abd Malek
10. Lee Beng San*
11. Lim Choon Kiat
12. Loo Kim Yong
13. Low Tek Lem*
14. Mah Eng Kian
15. Muhamad Jail Ikhsan*
16. Ng Swee Lee
17. Noordin Atan
18. Omar Hashim*
19. Selvodory Subramaniam
20. Sia Chock Sung*
21. Siti Latiffah Binti Maulud
22. Tan Ah Kau
23. Yunus Ismail*
24. Zulkifli Ibrahim

Kajang Municipal Council (MPKj)
1.Adram Musa*
2.Arutchelvan A/l Subramaniams
3.Chan Jeong Hon
4.Chandra Mohan S.Thambirajah
5.Cheong Siow Foon*
6.Datuk Noorhisham Ishak*
7.Datuk Ungku Abdul Rani Shamsuddin
8.Lee Ah Seng
9.Lee Kee Hiong
10.Lee Learn Eng
11.Lim Khey Hoong
12.Mazwan Bin Johar
13.Mohammed Yusoff Bachek
14.Mohd Mohyiddin Bin Mohamed Mesbah
15.Mohd Sany Hamzan*
16.Mohd Shafie Ngah
17.Narayanan Perumal
18.Ng Tien Chee
19.Norsiah Md Nor *
20.Ong Seng Peng
21.Razaly Hassan
22.Samsol Bahari
23.Tan Boon Wah
24.Zulfikar Ali Ariffin*

Kuala Langat District Council (MDKL)
1.Ang Lee Yong*
2.Gan Kai Soon
3.Gunalan Balakrishnan*
4.Hasnul Baharuddin
5.Karunakaran Annavy
6.Lim Kuan Sion*
7.Maniarasan Ramaswary
8.Mesari Jasman*
9.Mohd Ghazali Abdullah*
10.Munusamy Erishin
11.Ng Khee Chong
12.Norazmi Mohamed Tahir
13.Othman Dol
14.Razali Ahmad
15.Rizuan Rahmat
16.Salmah Muhammad
17.Sapariah Sarmidi
18.Shaari Sarkoni*
19.Shamsuddin Kasran
20.Sivapregas Kuppan*
21.Wong Kim Loon
22.Y.A.D Raja Dato' Uzair Tengku Zainon Rashid Shah
23.Yap Lai Keng
24.Yong Keh Chyn

Kuala Selangor District Council (MDKS)
1.Ahmad Alang*
2.Ang Boon Teik
3.Azli bin Idris
4.Dato' Mohamad Yaacob Ismail
5.Jegathesan Subramaniam*
6.Kwi Ai Mei
7.Lakshmanan Subramoniam
8.Lim Piang Nam
9.Low Tan
10.Misran Serman
11.Mohd Faizal Baharuddin
12.Mohd Faizal Mohd Barja*
13.Mohd Fakaruddin Ismail*
14.Navaratna Chandreen Kanagaratnam
15.Nor Az Azlan Ahmad
16.Norfaizah Ismail*
17.Selvandran Pongudian
18.Sharuddin Dahlan
19.Siti Zalaha Abdul Rashid*
20.Tanarashu Krishnan*
21.Tee Peng*
22.Thirumoorthy Peri
23.Yap Kee Thian
24.Zainal Abidin bin Abdul Samad

Hulu Selangor District Council (MDHS)
1.Abdul Wahid B. Basri,
2.Arun@Harun Abdullah*
3.Chan Fook Heng*
4.Chan Kok Siew
5.Chandran Subramaniam*
6.Chua Yee Ling
7.Dato' Aman Shah Mohd Shahar
8.Dr G Sukhdev Singh Ranu*
9.Gunasekaran Karpayah*
10.Hamiruddin b. Parman
11.June Leow*
12.Kamaliyah Bien*
13.Law Say Hin
14.Law Suet Peng
15.Look Soo Mooi*
16.Mahyuddin Ismail
17.Mai Mt Zin
18.Mat Rahat Ibrahim*
19.Mohammed Salleh Ri
20.Ong Thiam Hock
21.Rames Ittan*
22.Razali Mokhtar*
23.Sazali Nor Saham*
24.Yong Chan Hee
* new councillors

Star has done a little bit of digging about some of these new Local Councilors... it seems that 'NGO quota' for Petaling Jaya has gone down. 

Well, what do we mean by the 'NGO Quota'? Firstly, these are, I believe, not names that have been chosen democratically by the NGOs, and thereafter submitted to the Selangor Pakatan Rakyat government. These are, I believe, persons who have been involved in some NGOs who were picked by the Selangor PR government. Hence, there will no obligation on these 'NGO-councillors' to report back or be accountable to the NGO community as a whole. Same, I believe, with those Professional NGOs - it is not persons that the Profession choses and submits to be appointed as Local Councillors. Same also with the disabled community. Same also... 

One year terms...really too short a term to bring about any real changes...and it ensures that the Local Councillors all tow the line, and do not 'cause trouble' (i.e. have a different point of view about things/practices, etc) - for, if you do - then the Pakatan Rakyat government just drops you, and picks a new Local Councillor. If minutes of Local Council meetings were available to the public (which it should be according to law...and certainly the principle of transparency and accountability - and, of course - freedom of information), then we will be able to see what these different councillors say at these meetings - or whether they really are 'blur' and just sit warming up their seat.  [See also earlier post:- Lack of a Freedom of Information Enactment no justification for not being open, transparent and accountable..]

THE appointment of a candidate from Parti Keadilan Rakyat to fill the seat meant for NGO in the new Petaling Jaya councillors line-up has caused cries of unfairness.

Selangor and Petaling Jaya Utara Keadilan Youth chief Khairul Anuar Ahmad Zainuddin, picked for the seat, is among the four new faces.

The 33-year-old trade unionist said he had not received the appointment letter but if given the chance, he would endeavour to ease the financial burden of ratepayers without compromising the sustainable development that Petaling Jaya needed.

New face in PJ: Cheong wants to make PJ Old Town more vibrant.

 

He lives in Shah Alam but has been working in Petaling Jaya for years.

“I may look into ways to reduce taxes and charges imposed by the council since the council had a surplus last year. My hope is to reduce the financial burden of the rakyat,” he said.

The second new appointment, Kandiah Subramaniam was only willing to say that he was a member of Keadilan and refused to comment further as he had not received the appointment letter.

Meanwhile, newcomer Jeyaseelen T. Anthony, 39, said his involvement in the political arena began in school, spurred by his views against the arbitrary use of some laws and the suppression on freedom of speech.

“I feel that the only way to make the necessary changes is to be in politics because you have to work from within,” said the lawyer who specialises in insurance and industrial relations.

The DAP member said he hoped to bring about a safer, better and cleaner environment for the people of Petaling Jaya with the council closely monitoring development to ensure that the city grew sustainably.

Tony Cheong Siew Thong, who is the chairman of Bukit Gasing DAP, has been a resident of Petaling Jaya Old Town for 15 years.

“There have been no changes in my neighbourhood since day one. I hope I can do something to make this place more vibrant,” said the 36-year-old graphic designer.

In Shah Alam, businessman Mohd Ismahadi Ridwan, 47, said that he had not received any official appointment letter from the state but was earlier informed by his party (PAS) leadership that he was one of the candidates being considered for the post.

Raring to go: Noorhisham hopes to fulfil his obligations as a councillor.

 

He said he had not received any calls from the Shah Alam City Council (MBSA) or the state and only came to know about the appointment when called by StarMetro.

“It is true that I have been chosen as a councillor in Shah Alam, then I am happy.

“I will give my best service to the people in the city and continue the efforts of the earlier councillors,” said the 47-year-old.

K. Yogasingamany, 51, who was appointed under the non-governmental organisation (NGO) quota, said he was surprised by the appointment.

He said he realised that councillors have a heavy responsibility but he was confident he could serve the city folk meaningfully.

“I aim to give constructive views to the council and am fully committed to serve the people well. I relish the challenge,” said the businessman.

There are 10 new faces in the list of councillors at Ampang Jaya Municipal Council (MPAJ). Among them were several first-timers and unfamiliar names to many. However, they are all very optimistic and excited about serving the community in Ampang.

For Hamsah Djabir, 37, the position would offer him an opportunity to work with youths. He has been living in Ampang since 1996 and was in the advertising industry.

Ng: Surprised by his appointment

He said there were many social problems among youth and the position would help him guide them to the right path.

“In Ampang, some of the problems like irregularity of garbage collection and the traffic woes need to be looked into seriously,” he said.

Another newcomer, Ee Wai Leong, 45 hoped to give back to the Kampung Baru Ampang folk if given a chance.

He said there were many problems such as clogged drains and flood in the area that needed to be addressed.

“I have been part of the Village Development and Security Committee for many years and involved in community work.

“At the moment I am not sure which zone I will be given but I hope to serve the community well,” said the sub-contractor.

In Subang Jaya, Loka Ng Sai Kai expressed surprise about his appointment, but said he had been informed that his name was shortlisted as a potential MPSJ councillor.

“However, I have not received my letter of appointment yet,” said Ng, who was appointed under the NGO quota.

He is presently the Selangor Buddhist Development Committee chairman, advisor to the Young Malaysians Movement and former vice-president of Malaysian Youth Council.

If he were appointed, the Subang Jaya resident of 15 years said he would first familiarise himself with a councillor’s duties.

Hamsah: In Ampang, some of the problems like irregularity of garbage collection and the traffic woes need to be looked into seriously

“I hope to look into issues like the needs of the disabled (OKU) group and land for places of worship for non-Muslims, with reference to the Subang Jaya Draft Local Plan.

“As a parent and resident, I also hope to get a pedestrian bridge built for the pupils of SJK (C) Chee Wen in Subang Jaya,” said Ng.

Edward Ling Sieak Meeng said that he had been verbally informed about his appointment, but had yet to receive any confirmation in black and white.

“I look forward to serving the community in whichever area and MPSJ committee I am appointed to.

“I hope to sit in on the MPSJ’s IT Committee, as that is my background,” said Ling, who is Subang Jaya assemblyman Hannah Yeoh’s political secretary.

He said councillors appointed under the DAP quota would be placed in different committees to ensure check and balance, and there would be no conflict of interest from having one councillor sit on two committees, for instance Audit and Finance.

On the Residents Committee (JKP), Ling said he had heard that the councillors would play a more advisory role rather than that of the JKP chairman.

Segambut MP Lim Lip Eng’s lawyer Tan Pok Shyong was the only DAP representative among seven new names announced as councillors for Selayang effective yesterday.

Ling: Political secretary to Hannah Yeoh

The 34-year-old Tan found out about his appointment when journalists from the Chinese press informed him on Tuesday night.

“I know Selayang has many problems and it shall be my responsibility to see to it that these problems are solved.

“Having been practising law for nine years, I know that it will be an uphill task and I am ready to take the challenge,” he said.

Besides Tan, the six other new faces are Abdul Majid Hasan and Lee Sew Hong from Pakatan Rakyat, Husnal Azahari Sanusi and Zaidy Abu Talib for the PAS quota and Low Hock Kheng representing the NGO segment.

Meanwhile, Selayang Municipal Council (MPS) public relations officer Mohd Zin Masoad expressed the council’s unhappiness over not being sent the list after the public announcement.

“The list is supposed to be given to the council today as the councillors’ appointment is effective today.

“Until now (yesterday noon), we still have not received the list although others knew about the appointments even before us.

“The state should pass us the list and then inform the public. We are in the dark over the new appointments,” he said.

Seven names were dropped out from the suggested list of councillors.

In Sepang, two-term Hulu Selangor District councillor Santokh Singh was in for a surprise as he had been named as a councillor at the Sepang Municipal Council (MPSp).

“I take this as a promotion. However, the job of a councillor is the same wherever you are,” said the 46-year-old production engineer.

He said he would now have more time to spend on the ground as it would be a shorter distance travelling from Klang, where he lives, to Sepang than to Kuala Kubu Baru to attend the district council meetings.

He has also been appointed as DAP whip in Sepang but assured that the extra reponsibilities would not hinder his councillor duties.

He does not foresee a different set of problems in Sepang as it is geographically rural, similar to Kuala Kubu Baru.

Meanwhile, Sivakumar Periasamy was caught completely unaware by the appointment.

“I did not hear anything about it,” said the 32-year-old MAS customer service staff, stationed at Kuala Lumpur International Airport.

He said that as a local boy, he knew what was expected of him and the issues that needed to be resolved.

He said, however, it was important for councillors to get the support of the Federal Government.

“Our resources and powers are limited although there is so much that needs to be done. However, I will try to do my best with the duties entrusted to me,” he said.

Other new councillors were Hajarah Abu Samat, Maanor Yusoff, Mashadi Saein, Mohamad Azif Mohamad Aris, Rajalingam Ramayah and Teo Lian Sang.

There will be six new councillors for Kajang Municipal Council (MPKj).

Cheong Siow Foon (DAP), 34, said that although he lived in Bandar Sg Long, he was familiar with Balakong as he had aided the previous councillor Tan Han Kuo in that area.

“I will volunteer to serve the zone in Taman Taming Jaya, Balakong during the meeting with councillors as it is a problematic area.

“There are poor people living here and many factories in the industrial site. I have noticed that there are rubbish and security problems there. I did some research and have thought of some new ideas to solve the problems,” he said.

Meanwhile, Mohd Sany Hamzan (PAS) said he was honoured to be entrusted with the responsibility as a councillor.

“Being a full-time politician, I am used to meeting the people. I hope to help the council monitor issues like traffic, businesses and cleanliness in Kajang,” said the 33-year-old.- Star, 8/7/2010, New councillors ready to take up the challenge

See earlier posts:

MBPJ - A sad reflection of Pakatan Rakyat, No Transparency, Accountability, Not Pro-People - Am I wasting my time?

 MBPJ - More proposals for reform & wondering the reason for not implementing simple reforms already suggested..

MBPJ meeting are open to the public - but people do not know this, or when, or what is on the agenda....

Meeting of Local Council (MBPJ, etc) should be open to the public...

Majlis Bandaraya Petaling Jaya - No changes because Mayor and staff following 'old policies and old ways...' of BN - so, not Pakatan's fault

Majlis Bandaraya Petaling Jaya - Where is the transparency and accountability?

MBPJ is still not transparent, accountable and giving effect to Reformasi, 'People Power'...Makkal Sakti, Kuasa Rakyat..