How elected local councils can combat corruption

 

One excellent reason for reviving the local council polls, suspended since 1965 for dubious reasons, is the power that it has to reduce corruption substantially, especially land-related corruption, which is large and has hardly been dealt with.

The individual states determine land matters for state land and the federal authorities for land owned by the federal government, such as in Kuala Lumpur and Labuan. They approve land alienation, land use and ownership, the major point of corruption here.

I explained in this article titled “Curbing Malaysia's land corruption could save trillions” how much money can be saved by changes in the way land is alienated.

One of the measures would be to empower local councils to do this, instead of state excos and the federal territories ministry, where the power is too concentrated with the chief ministers and state councillors.

Malaysia lost about RM277 billion to corruption between 2018 and 2023 – in a mere five years, according to the MACC. While this covers all sectors, land is a major contributor because of its high value and systemic vulnerabilities.

A main spurious reason

One main spurious reason for stalling local council polls is that it will give power to non-Malays. But really, what’s wrong with that if they are the largest number of people living in those council areas? There will be many Malay-dominated ones too.

Also, opponents would do well to note that urban demographics have changed so much that the largest population in many urban areas are Malays themselves. If indeed that was a reason to defer local council elections - it is not - there is none anymore.

We must stop looking at things through a racial lens, realising that what is good for the common man or woman is good for everyone, no matter what their colour, creed or religion. Politicians should stop playing the racial angle and focus on the benefits of change.

As I explained in this article titled “Why not local council polls instead of just mayoral ones?”, there is no real reason to delay it anymore, and the benefits it will bring are much more.

Continued deferment is an act of betrayal to the rakyat, including the Malays, who surely want corruption to be reduced, as it does not benefit them.

Greater accountability

There are three aspects to passing power to local councils and having an election for them. One is that if land deals are to be approved by local councils, including town councils and city councils, which have to be elected, they are directly accountable to the people who are affected.

The other is that local councils, although they do not approve land ownership, are already responsible for such things as planning permission, development orders, building plans and zoning compliance, all of which play a big part in proper, ordered town planning.

One more is that it reduces the concentration of power, and hence the opportunity for grand corruption in land matters, by distributing land decisions among hundreds of local councils directly responsible to the residents.

We all know that proper town and city planning in Malaysia is practically non-existent because there is big money in property development. Many palms have to be greased to allow massive developments, which give little regard to enhancing living conditions but instead focus on profits to the exclusion of almost everything else.

A land deal cannot progress to development without these approvals, but approvals are often easily obtained from compliant political appointees who are beholden to those who appoint them, who in turn are beholden to those who pay to get their way.

Local councillors are appointed by the state and federal authorities and are therefore easily manipulated by them into approving planning permissions, etc.

A new way of living

If elected local councillors are in charge of the entire process, then there is less likelihood that there will be a chain of corruption as councillors are replaced, say every three years, through elections and will take more care to pander to their voters instead of those who push money.

Of course, that requires a concomitant effort and commitment to fight corruption by appropriate enforcement and prosecution. But to make it easier, the avenues for corruption must be reduced and dispersed, paving the way for greater accountability.

That is what passing the power of land allocation, alienation and land use to local councils will do. At the same time, when those actually elected by the people decide these things in the areas they live in, accountability is hugely improved.

Those who make decisions have to literally face those affected on the streets if they make wrong decisions, especially suspicious ones. Now, state excos and federal authorities who make decisions affecting local people are not anywhere near them most of the time.

Since local councils also have responsibility for a multitude of problems associated with running villages, towns and cities and ensuring that they function properly, localising this and breaking it up into smaller parts makes it more manageable and increases the human touch by bringing councillors and the people they serve closer together.

Elected local councils bring the notion of participative democracy to new, much more meaningful levels and offer a chance for a new, better way of living by allowing the rakyat opportunities to engage with change and development in their areas.

There is no valid reason to delay them any longer. - Mkini

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P GUNASEGARAM remembers the time when MPs and state assemblypersons rose from the ranks of local councillors.

The views expressed here are those of the author/contributor and do not necessarily represent the views of MMKtT.