Mayoral elections in Kuala Lumpur appear unlikely anytime soon after a study by the International Islamic University Malaysia (IIUM) advised against them, a recommendation the cabinet accepted while pivoting to other improvements instead.
Likewise, a proposal by Kuala Lumpur MPs for there to be appointed councillors has also been rejected.
Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Federal Territories) Hannah Yeoh said in a statement yesterday that IIUM’s findings did not favour having councillors in Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL).
Malaysiakini was made to understand that the study also advised against local elections.
Yeoh said the university also found that the proposal to amend the Federal Capital Act - to change how the capital is governed - was sensitive because it involves the Yang di-Pertuan Agong and the sultan of Selangor.
This is believed to be in reference to arguments that any changes to the Act must be made in consultation with the Selangor monarch, despite the royal family ceding Kuala Lumpur to the federal government in 1974 through the Federal Territory of Kuala Lumpur Agreement.
Emphasis on administration, not restructuring
IIUM’s study also reportedly stated that changing how the mayor’s office works would contradict the original intent of the Act - that the administration of the city be separated from the uncertainty of partisan politics - as well as the 1974 cession agreement.
However, the statement did not specify whether the study addressed the current situation, where the mayor is a political appointee and control of the city is subject to whoever is in power in Putrajaya.
Instead of reforms to how the capital city is controlled, IIUM suggested that existing checks and balances within City Hall should be enhanced without adding layers that could create overlapping functions or obscure accountability.
It said the study found that many operational issues within DBKL were not due to a lack of legislation, but rather due to a lack of detailed and authoritative governance documents and guidelines.
IIUM also said that the role of Kuala Lumpur MPs must be strengthened as a democratic check and balance, but without any administrative power.
Further, it said a formal governance framework was needed for the DBKL Advisory Board to outline membership quotas for experts and civil society representatives, as well as meeting procedures, proposal evaluations, and reporting mechanisms, and the specific working relationships between the board, the mayor, the minister in charge, and City Hall’s management.
In response to the IIUM study findings, Yeoh said the cabinet decided to focus on strengthening DBKL’s management, check-and-balance mechanisms, and accountability before considering any amendments to the Federal Capital Act.
Contradicting results
It is unclear what methodology IIUM used, whether it consulted Kuala Lumpur residents, whether the study involved a survey, what the sample size was if one was conducted, and how it arrived at its conclusions.
The findings appear to conflict with a recent survey by Merdeka Center, which found that 58 percent of registered voters supported the proposal for direct elections for the mayor of Kuala Lumpur, while 19 percent opposed it.
Even among the Malays surveyed, 56 percent supported mayoral elections while only 26 percent were against.
These findings were part of Merdeka Center’s public perception survey, which was conducted from March 12 to April 9 and released last week.
The respondents were randomly stratified to ensure fair representation. 51 percent of the 1,209 respondents were Malay. - Mkini
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