Govt open to amending Federal Capital Act to elect local councillors

 

PARLIAMENT | The government will consider making amendments to the Federal Capital Act (1960) to make way for the possibility of elected councillors in the Kuala Lumpur City Council (DBKL), the Dewan Rakyat was told today.

Deputy Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Federal Territories) Lo Su Fui said that his ministry had acknowledged the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) recommendations submitted last year, and has established a subsequent task force to study these findings.

“The Federal Territories Department has noted the need to review laws to align with the intent of realising institutional reforms within Kuala Lumpur.

“As such, the department has also established a task force on Nov 7 last year, to conduct a study exploring the feasibility of amending the Federal Capital Act 1960.

“The findings of this study will be scrutinised alongside the views of various stakeholders, and any proposed amendments to the Act will be submitted to the cabinet for consideration,” he added.

Lo (above) was responding to a query from Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad (Harapan-Setiawangsa) regarding the government’s stance on the PAC’s recommendations for DBKL to install elected councillors as a check and balance to the Kuala Lumpur mayor’s authority.

Setiawangsa MP Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad

In November last year, seven Kuala Lumpur MPs, including Nik Nazmi and Teresa Kok (Harapan-Seputeh), submitted a Private Members’ Bill seeking to amend the Federal Capital Act, in what they describe as a long-overdue reform to curb the concentration of power in the hands of the Kuala Lumpur mayor.

The bill reportedly followed the PAC recommendations from August 2025, which called for the city’s administration to be restructured to align with the Local Government Act 1976.

Mayoral polls study faces pushback

On Feb 1, Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Federal Territories) Hannah Yeoh announced that a study on KL mayoral election was underway, after which its findings will be presented to the cabinet.

However, Umno and PAS pushed back against the feasibility study, with leaders playing on sentiments to rile up Malays rather than offering logical arguments that challenge the merits of such polls.

Kota Bharu MP Takiyuddin Hassan had also cited parliamentary debates from 1960 to remind that Malays had rejected the return of such polls.

At a forum last week, Kok and Nik Nazmi stressed that the government should first strive to adopt the PAC recommendations before introducing the mayoral election as separate from local council polls.

Nik Nazmi also raised the suggestion of introducing a proportional representation system for electing DBKL councillors, instead of adhering to the first-past-the-post system.

The Setiawangsa MP further proposed introducing electoral quotas to encourage representation from marginalised groups, including women, ethnic minorities, youths and disabled individuals.

Aiming for sound solution

In the Dewan Rakyat this morning, Nik Nazmi raised these suggestions again.

Lo reminded that although these findings were still in their initial study phase and clear policy decisions have not been finalised, he acknowledged that it was an “obligation” to consider all positive suggestions.

“We should include not only ethnic and gender representation but also groups such as the vulnerable, the disabled, single mothers, youth, and others. This ensures we obtain comprehensive information so that we can provide sound solutions,” he said.

The deputy minister added that the study on amending the Federal Capital Act - led by researchers with expertise in law, urban planning, and political science - is also analysing the appointment of mayor and elected councillors in Kuala Lumpur by drawing comparisons from other nations’ capital cities. - Mkini