Calling for a halt in the politicisation of a feasibility study on mayoral polls in Kuala Lumpur, DAP secretary-general Anthony Loke pointed out that figures from various political backgrounds had voiced support for such reforms.
In particular, Loke noted that former Umno leader Khairy Jamaluddin had backed the polls while speaking at a Jan 19 forum alongside PKR’s Setiawangsa MP Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad.
“This is not a DAP issue. Many other quarters have proposed it, including (Khairy), who at a recent forum openly said that Kuala Lumpur should have mayoral election so that there is more accountability.
“Many MPs in Kuala Lumpur, including those from PKR (such as) Nik Nazmi, support efforts towards the democratisation of Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL),” Loke said.
The transport minister said this when speaking to reporters after a working visit to Terminal Bersepadu Selatan.
During the forum, Khairy had asserted that there is “something fundamentally wrong” with a system of governance if those in government departments handling daily complaints and issues are not held accountable to the rakyat.
Advocating for local council election to be implemented in Kuala Lumpur for a start, Khairy also said that on a “personal (and) psychological level,” having mayoral polls would incentivise mayors to perform their jobs better.
“(When I was part of the cabinet) I used to say local elections are a good thing - I am sure Nik Nazmi used to say the same thing, but the majority thought it was not the right time to have local elections.
“Now that we are (not part of the cabinet), we are free to express our actual views. My view, which I have stood by for a while now, is that we need to restore some form of local government elections,” the former minister added.
‘Blowing it out of proportion’
Loke today affirmed that there was no need to politicise the feasibility study, as doing so would be akin to blowing the matter out of proportion since the proposed polls have yet to be implemented.
“I don’t see any controversy here - it is simply a proposal to conduct a study to see whether (the mayoral election) can be implemented or not,” the Seremban MP said.
Previously, Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Federal Territories) Hannah Yeoh said efforts are underway to study the mayoral election, with the minister saying it was more practical than electing local councillors for DBKL.
Right-wing Malay-based political parties have long opposed the local council election, claiming that they would erode Malay power in urban areas where non-Malays are the majority.
Following Yeoh’s remarks, Umno pushed back against the feasibility study, with the party’s leaders playing on sentiments aimed at riling up Malays instead of logical arguments that challenge the merits of such polls.
In contrast, Selangor PAS Youth gave a more measured response to the proposal, saying it needed a rational discussion.
Standing firm with the government’s move to look into the potential of the polls, Yeoh later emphasised that one should “never be afraid of research”.
She has also clarified that the study is being carried out by the International Islamic University Malaysia (IIUM), after which its findings will be brought to the cabinet. - Mkini
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.