Bersih keeps up call for local govt election

 

Electoral reform coalition Bersih has kept up its call for the re-introduction of local government elections, arguing the need for greater accountability, corruption eradication and better services for the people.

In a 75-page policy report released today, Bersih presented its proposals on how local council elections can be carried out in Malaysia, as well as to address common concerns by critics of the idea.

Among identified concerns include monopolisation of one ethnic group or dominance of one party; prohibitive costs of conducting of another set of elections at the local council level; and weakening state governments by eroding their powers.

The report, however, said the narrative that "Malays would be marginalised by local elections" is an outdated and unfounded political myth based on current population numbers.

On the contrary, the report projected that urbanisation and higher birth rate among Bumiputera communities will see currently mixed councils such as Kuala Lumpur City Hall to eventually become a Bumiputera-majority council.

Bersih further argued that the peril of unelected local councils, for example the case of water disruption in Selangor due to long tolerance of illegal factories, would outweigh the costs of holding local council elections.

"The cost of local council elections can be mitigated through cost exemptions of rental of the facility, sharing of election costs by local councils (especially the salaries of polling staff) and trialling elections first at the City Hall/City Council level," it said.

On concerns of weakening powers, Bersih said local government elections should be introduced in tandem with the decentralisation of powers from the federal government to state and local governments.

"For example, federal responsibility such as transferring of oversight of schools to state governments," it added.

In terms of implementation, it recommended the adoption of presidential and parliamentary forms of government based on the tier of the councils and region of Malaysia.

Unlike the first-past-the-post system adopted at federal and state level, Bersih recommended for local council elections to be held using a mixed member proportional system, allowing for representation of minority communities in the administration process.

Aside from legal amendments including to provisions under the Local Government Act 1976, Bersih also proposed for the abolition or merger of the Federal Territories Ministry.

Last August, Housing and Local Government Minister Zuraida Kamaruddin reportedly said Perikatan Nasional is not going ahead with local elections in the wake of objections from Umno MPs.

She said local councils should take smaller steps towards opening up before the question of local elections is dealt with as elections might be too drastic a move.

This was despite her supporting the same idea when she held the minister's post under the previous Harapan administration. - Mkini