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If I were ever asked about what is my biggest sore with the present Selangor State Government, I would say it is related to local council appointment. The Star today pointed out today that based on the assessment of the Coalition of Non-Governmental Organizations and Professional Appointed Councilors (Conpac), the so-called independents are actually members of political parties that form the Selangor Pakatan Rakyat government.
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I can accept the argument surrounding the inability to have the election of local councilors but I cannot accept the fact that the PR government has chosen to be silent on alternative methods of appointing representatives from among the residents.
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I am not privy on how NGO are selected to sit on local councils. Was the invitation extended to the NGO as an organization or to certain individuals in the organization? If the seat was given to the NGO, does the NGO nominate someone to be appointed to the LC? My interest in this whole affair is community representation. If they chose to join any political party subsequently is immaterial.
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How about individuals with strong contention with regards to the local issues which are not member of any NGO? Don’t they deserve any opportunity to represent community interest? From my angle, the current SSG has insufficient political will power to do what they had promised. They are worried that communities end up nominating strong characters or people who are members of BN. If the SSG government truly champions the issue of accountability then it should not worry about which camp does the community nominates to sit on the local council. What is important is the check and balance. This should be their prime concerns as accountability ensures that things are done right.
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The other interesting observation is that I noticed that many current local councilors don’t know their powers. There are no written documents made available to them on their roles and responsibility as well as the power of being a councilor. I was under the impression that the YDP is the chairman of local council meetings but at the way things are happening he is throwing his weight around and have the final decision. He can even over-rule the consensus approved at council meetings.
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I always thought that the LC board is the highest approving authority which defines the mandate for the YDP to run his organization. Maybe I got it wrong? Should we not make someone else as the chairman of the council and the YDP is the member of the council? Shouldn’t the council have its own independent secretariat? These are pertinent issues that need to be addressed if we want better local council administration.
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meek,
Blogging is a good outlet to express our concerns. I am sure the sum of all our comments will convey strong signals to the authority to shape up or shift out. We are like an amoeba growing and getting stronger by the click.
A working engagement… yes I agree but I will take a rain check. Reading the comment from J. D. Lovrenciear… Doc is on the right track to bring change to our lives..
I share your view that PR should appoint some independent Councilors out of PR political parties to provide independent check and balance. This is one of the best alternative to local council elections.
We can’t not have direct local council election due to Local Government Act 1976 (ACT 171) does not allow election of local council (highlighted by Doc). In other country people can simply vote out incompetent councillors. They vote based on the service and maintenance by the local council. Even non citizens also have the right to vote.
Besides that I would say the training and courses are very important for local coucil staff and workers. Provide good training and courses to educate them to provide better public service. It is their duty and responsibity to serve the public interest.
PR & independent councillors must think out of box to find a way to manage those difficult staff.
I share the concern, Doc.
The malaise or kemelayuan in the state of our malaysian union is making many feeling bitter. You get the feeling that after 1957 or 1963 this feeling will make present government rule forever – no one cares! Looks like they’re succeeding.
Perhaps, it begs for change. We have to bring back the full system – make people rule themselves via local government, give it the full blown constitutional clout to make things work.
The we won’t have uncommitted politicians to blame all the time.
We could rid us of most if not some of the wealth hawkers or pedlars.
Sorry to interrupt, folks.
Anyone know why is The Malaysian Insider Not Accessible (since early morning ) ?
Clamp down in motion ?
Thank you.
Dear Doc,
I have nothing much to say to u except that after reading your various articles on SSG and its political powers and its powers on handling the various organisations under its clout, u still dont get it. Sometimes your articles show that you are a learned person and sometimes they show how ignorant you are on certain affairs linked to the state government.
Let me tell you doctor, if you still dont get it. UMNO/BN after ruling this country for 50 plus years, they have squeezed the powers of the state’s and put it UNDER FEDERAL CONTROL. All local councils by hook or crook are controlled by the Minister, that is the Kementerian Kerajaan Tempatan. Now this is where the problem lies. SO, I ASK YOU TO PLEASE TELL YOUR READERS TO VOTE PAKATAN INTO PUTRAJAYA WITH A CONVINCING VICTORY SO THAT THINGS CAN BE UNROLLED AND POWERS BE GIVEN BACK TO THE STATES. LOOK AT THE WATER WOES IN SELANGOR. SSG IS FIGHTING TO TAKE BACK THE WATER FROM THE GREEDY BN CRONY BUT THE FEDERAL GOVT IS DOING ITS BEST TO ENSURE THAT THIS DOES NOT HAPPEN. JUST LIKE THAT, THERE ARE MANY MANY HIDDEN POWERS THROUGH WHICH THE FEDERAL IS SQUEEZING THE BALLS OF THE STATE GOVTS.
SO, LETS PUT PAKATAN INTO FEDERAL SEATS AND WATCH FOR 5 YEARS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THESE TWO POLITICAL POWERS. IF THE UMNO/BN GOVT IS DOING SO MUCH TO MAKE SURE THAT BERSIH DOES NOT GO TO THE ROADS THERE MUST BE SOMETHING THEY ARE SO SCARED. WHY UMNO OUTSOURCE THEIR SO CALLED ‘MALAY’ RIGHTS ISSUE TO PERKASA. IT’S DISGUSTING WHEN PEOPLE TALK AND COMPARE PAKATAN AND UMNO/BN WITHOUT REALLY KNOWING WHAT THEY ARE COMPARING.
ONE CAN ONLY KNOW THE DIFFERENCE WHEN THEY PUT PAKATAN INTO PUTRA JAYA. I AM NOT A POLITICIAN BUT THINGS THAT EFFECT ME DIRECTLY TELL ME THAT WE NEED A CHANGE.
Please read para 2 of my post at a slower speed…… I understand the limitation
Just to correct a misconception. Local authority is under state and not federal control lest in Wilayah persekutuan. That’s why appointment of councillors wholly within state. In fact I stand corrected the local authorities staff are not part of federal civil service.
Ellese
As an expert lawyer, you must also highlight in the same breadth that local council election cannot be done because
(1) Local Government Act 1976 (ACT 171) does not allow election of local council. To have this election, the ACT must be amended. This can only be done by Federal Government which is currently objecting and dont want to do it
Further to that, we must also note that a constitutional amendment was made in 1960 that provides for the establishment of a consultative committee called the National Council for Local Government. which give broad powers to Minister of Housing and Local Government that surpassed the powers of the state government
It would look nicer on your “resume” if you presented the “whole truth and nothing but the truth and not partial truth”
Doc
You are more well verse in law than expert lawyer!!
I was not surprised as in Malaysia has many sub-standard lawyers.
I am sure many have watched the this video about the Malaysia’s funiest lawyer.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sz6xX2vbzRc
Kepada mc yang malas membaca,
Substandard ya. Let me show your ignorant again so that at the end you can plead ‘I don’t know about it’ because malas membaca. Do a simple google search on item 2 of List II ninth schedule of our federal constitution. Tell me what it says. You like to ramble. I’ll guide you step by step. Then see whether you have superior standard and knowledge. We start from basic dulu.
Doc said on (1) Local Government Act 1976 (ACT 171) does not allow election of local council. To have this election, the ACT must be amended. This can only be done by Federal Government which is currently objecting and dont want to do it.
Do you agree what he said? Many legal experts said it would not be possilble to have direct local council election. So you are saying they are wrong and you are right?
This was what I pick up from Wikipedia.
Some important changes were enforced under the Act 171 alone. One of them was, the restriction of the number of local governments in the peninsula. More importantly the abolishment of local government elections. Under this act, local councillors were no longer elected but appointed by the state government.
Obviously you failed to notice the changes or deliberately tell the half truth. Did this changes take place? yes or no?
Tell me whether the changes made is truth or not? Tell us the whole truth but not half truth.
I don’t major in Law and I don’t claim to be one!! You can say I malas baca. That is fine. Just give me the straight answer whether it is possible to hold the local election without making change to law/act? Yes or NO?
Would Federal government prevent it using all sort of act and law? Would you get UMNO leaders to make announcement in the news to say that PR states can hold direct local election and there is no law to stop them doing it. So this will clear all the confusion and solve the problem once for all. It also can embarass PR state government. I am looking forward to hear UMNO government making this announment.
This is what Abdullah is Abdullah main contention. He wrote:
” UMNO/BN after ruling this country for 50 plus years, they have squeezed the powers of the state’s and put it UNDER FEDERAL CONTROL. All local councils by hook or crook are controlled by the Minister, that is the Kementerian Kerajaan Tempatan.”
I wrote back:
“Local authority is under state and not federal control lest in Wilayah persekutuan. That’s why appointment of councillors wholly within state. ”
You said my comments are substandard. I’m going to show that this is a correct statement even for the past 50 years. now as usual please don’t divert. Please tell me what the ninth schedule say. After that I’ll go deeper on a step by step basis to counter abdullah’s point and your substandard comment. Google the answer and if you want copy verbatim pun tak pa.
Just point to me Local Government Act 1976 (ACT 171) is stil valid or not? Just yes or no?
This was what I pick up from Wikipedia.
Some important changes were enforced under the Act 171 alone. One of them was, the restriction of the number of local governments in the peninsula. More importantly the abolishment of local government elections. Under this act, local councillors were no longer elected but appointed by the state government.
Was this amendment took place? If this changes took place, it would contradict with item 2 of List II ninth schedule of our federal constitution you mentioned.
So which act is correct? Many legal experts already said it can’t be done. Are they wrong and you are right?
Why do you say there’s a contradiction with ninth schedule? There’s none. I think you are confused. That’s why I propose to take step by step explanation which you still refuse to answer. There is another consti provision which is also crucial. These two provisions say it all. To ensure were on same page please respond accordingly.
Eh, a law expert .. in what field ??? You kidding or what ?
Couldn’t help laughing at the term….
Best joke of the day !
Thanks for brightening up a rather dull day.
Cheers, mate !
Can you give an answer to the question I raised to mc?
Perli nampak.;-). Don’t you think Abdullah wrote based on an assumption which is not the whole truth at all? Anyway it has again attracted detractors like mc and gb which went ungairly personal lagi. I’ll build my argument through their comments. A thing to note, is pr promising reform on local authority in their buku jingga? Can’t find one. If they don’t, and they become fed gov status remain quo dr? If not why have they dropped the reform.
Btw way docs. Two major issues rose today. Anwar’s video and Tony pua spin on vernacular school. I leave to you whether you want to touch on Anwar since you’ve mentioned before but will you be touching on Tony pua’s hypocritical spin. National school issue is a passion for me. I think dap has been utmost hypocritical on this. Since day one they have been fighting for mother tounge of only of a selective race (racist???) and not any other minorities like bidayuh, ibans Sikh kelantanese etc, it’s never about Malaysia first. To me if you don’t want to have a unifying nation free of racism we must start from the young.
Can you give me the link on Tony Pua statement. I want to read before commenting
I think TP is just stating the cause, he never reject unifying nation free of racism. Btw from my reading in the past, TP were very supportive toward national school and critical towards vernacular system, perhaps he put it in a subtle way (wrt VS) and only the not ‘Malaysian first’ Chinese like me could detect. But of course being a politician, he might tell what people want to hear.
HY,
No DAP leader that I know since merdeka who says that vernacular school must cease for the purpose of putting Malaysian first. TP if decent and consistent must at least say that. We could have done this decades ago.
I can understand why tp and dap put chinese vernacular schools above all else. Their main supporters want this and risk losing their support. But it is just too shallow to go on Malaysian first and not ask their base to compromise.
HY, srry for side tracking. Your previous comment questioning why we should not privatize was to me poignantly well written. I thought it was a non-issue and wrote a general retort. But the way you wrote resembling a socialism Karl Marx esque kind of idea (as I see it though you may never intended it) prompted me to read some economic history book. Still reading n will write on this later.
Ellese,
Politicking aside, if you do read TP in the past, he doesn’t pro VS, problem is he could not find enough good reason to put forward his view, being a politician now, I think his stance become much more complex and tricky.
http://educationmalaysia.blogspot.com/2005/06/national-vs-chinese-school-i.html
Thanks. An excellent piece by tp. What he wrote below was frank. Now being a principled politician he must repeat his stand and say we need to work out on one school system. Then he’ll gain my respect as politician.
“What has national integration got to do with a kid’s education, you might ask? National integration tends to be absent from most people’s priority list when selecting a schooling system for their children. I’ll place additional emphasis on this criterion, as it is the criterion most often overlooked by Malaysian, particularly Chinese parents.”
Read it at MI if not mistaken whose trying to spin again.
abdullah
Not denying what you have written- like an obstacle race. But the fact remains that under PR rule the appointments of LCs in Selangor are party centric.(Dr R- Which is no different when it was ruled under BN) That are many apolitical professionals in relevant disciplines necessary for the satisfactory administration of any council that can be selected (not necessary elected) as local councilors.
PR politicians should answer- why not ? Don’t give excuses !
(Dr R- They should show that they are different from BN in this aspect but clearly they are not)
Abang AK,
They can promise …, but end of the day…, NGO pun semua main politik…, so take the easy way out appoint LC’s most qualified.., that’s game zero.
Anyway…must teach our NGO’s to stay out of politics…if they are sincere with their cause…, if not its winner take all.
BN are just sore loosers…….., just like CSL.
Doc,
Now a day’s all NGO’s are link to political parties….., they can deny but its a norm….even people like me can say we are apolitical…., but then we want change..so are we not favoring a political party…?
We are sick of BN /UMNO…and we seek change…are we not favouring someone..?
So back to basics….PR in Selangor did the right thing…, there was no two way to it…, only BN can harp…,
Back to LC and YDP…, best to go for Referendum…, next time around after PPU13.
Dear meek… your apologia agreed and supported.
By the way, apolitical is a captive condition. It is the right to be unheard and the right to be invisible or normally people said the right to be neutral. It is a hideout from the awesome possibilities of being personally criticized and marginalized. Thus, it is an imposition that is antithesis to one’s own conception of individual freedom.
Dear Zul,
You’re in fact right.
On complaints that the NGO quota is not in accordance with the PR election manifesto, my opinion is that if a councillor has been appointed based on the recommendation of an NGO, such councillor must continue to be considered as an NGO nominee notwithstanding that the councillor in question was a PR party member at the time of appointment, or had become a PR party member subsequent to his appointment as a councillor.
It is up to the PR government to clarify and confirm if the councillors (who happen to be both NGO and PR party members) were appointed either as an NGO or PR party nominee.
I have lived in PJ for almost 30 years, under both the BN government (pre-2008) and the present PR government. I can say with 100% conviction that the performance of the MBPJ, in matters that concerns me and are visible to me, under both the BN and PR regimes is almost exactly the same. It is like the state government had never change with the BN still in power.
All the negatives which the PR government inherited from the BN government are still there. Roads are still pot-hole riddled. In commercial areas, back-lanes are still being used as kitchens, storage areas, rubbish dumps, and drains have dual functions, including being used as rubbish dumps. If one eats at a restaurant, just don’t sit at tables nearer the drains. The smell may be free, but it is obnoxious and unwelcome. Enforcement of parking regulations is still lacking. Rubbish collection, road and drain maintenance in residential areas remain reasonably but not entirely satisfactory, but I don’t see any perceptible improvement from pre-2008 conditions.
For me, the reason for non-improvement is clear and simple. Improvements to local government performance do not depend on the state government alone. It also do not depend too much on the composition of the council members. In fact, more important and critical are the quality of the government officers doing the day-to-day administration of the local governments. The current PR government inherited a bunch of officers with the ‘ketuanan’ mentality. These people with such ‘ketuanan’ mentality forgets or worse, never even accepted that they are paid servants of the rate-payers. On the contrary, they believe themselves to be ‘tuans’ to us rate-payers. When they carry out their duties for which they paid to do so, they believe they are doing rate-payers a big favour!
Taking drastic disciplinary action against these ‘tuans’ becomes a ‘sensitive’ issue. So long as the PR government do not have the political will and courage to get rid of local government employees who do not perform and behave like ‘tuans’ instead of like servants, performance of local government will not improve. It will make no difference even if 100% of the councillors are NGO nominees.
Ong,
It’s only the losers who are harping…not the rakyaat…, when it’s all system go….., we can see this….? Just see how Alam Flora is jumping…we know , who the stake holders are…, don’t we..?
This is a true story about a big tree which was uprooted in a thunder storm that fell on the roof of a house and blocked the traffic flow. After numerous phone calls finally MPAJ came to clear the wreckage that block the road but not what was on the roof of the house and also the tree trunk and stump by the side of the road. When asked why? MPAJ said it is not their responsibility. They said the remains of the tree which is on the roof of the house is the owner’s responsibility whilst the tree trunk and the stump are inside the DBKL territory. The house-owner had to call a crane operator the next day. But it was another monolithic task to get DBKL to clear the leftovers. It was an ugly sight for over a month.
I agree with Doc that LC should encourage diversity in societal expression. It should be represented by members of the various segments of the society in order to create a climate of opinion that has real, palpable effect effects on the daily lives of the Rakyats. The Chair should be a person with intellectual, social and communal personality.
Zul,
Time to right the wrong…., but we should know the approach and how to approach…., comments via blog will not work.
A working engagement with the guys in power..will provide more positive results …rather then playing with letters and what not. ( My opinion ) The rule of engagement…., is that we just sum in total and not talk about a particular area.