Housing and Local Government Minister Zuraida Kamaruddin said none of her former Pakatan Harapan colleagues had stood up for her when then prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad shot down her push for local government elections.
She said this after Mahfuz Omar (Amanah-Pokok Sena), in a follow-up question in the Dewan Rakyat, quizzed if Zuraida's new colleagues, particularly those from PAS, were agreeable to her push for local government elections.
"PAS objects to you... Have you got agreement from them? Because they are worried the kafirs (non-Muslims) will take over Malaysia," Mahfuz said.
Zuraida (above) said she had predicted the question pitting her against her new PAS colleagues.
"I would like to point out that when I pursued this (local government elections) agenda, I was contradicted by Langkawi (Mahathir) and no one dared to support me. It's supposed to be in the Pakatan Harapan manifesto.
"However, I believe with a more meticulous, holistic, and informative approach, we can put forward this agenda," she said during Minister's Question Time in Parliament today.
The topic came up after Wong Hon Wai (DAP-Bukit Bendera) asked for an update on the status to implement local government elections.
Subsequently, Che Alias Hamid (PAS-Kemaman), in a follow-up question, queried the necessity of local government elections.
He pointed out that the Local Government Act 1976 stipulates that the position of local councillors are to be determined by the executive council chaired by the menteri besar of the respective states.
Che Alias argued that since the state government is elected, therefore the state government's appointment of local councillors are also indirectly the people's choice.
"That means, democratic principles are already upheld in the appointment of local councillors. What is the urgent need for there to be local government elections?" he queried.
Zuraida (photo) defended her stand, stating that it is her responsibility to empower local governments.
"This is important to show that we are a progressive and democratic country," she said.
Zuraida assured that a paper on the matter will be tabled in the cabinet by mid-2021 before further work is done.
She added that at present, two committees have been formed to look at the matter.
"There are policy and operations committees. The policy committee comprises of government officers and agencies to consider the legal and financial aspects as well as the mechanism for implementation.
"The operations committee comprises NGOs and community leaders who will prepare a paper on people's perception. They are also responsible for awareness campaigns," she explained.
Zuraida added that a pilot study will be conducted in states that have expressed readiness for local government elections, particularly in Penang and Selangor.
"We have studied a number of overseas models and we will find the best one that suits the situation in Malaysia," she said.
Zuraida retained her position as housing and local government minister when the Pakatan Harapan government collapsed and was taken over by Perikatan Nasional. - Mkini
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.