16 NGOs want elections for local councils, Dewan Negara

A group of 16 NGOs has called for an end to the practice of the federal and state governments choosing and appointing the local government, Dewan Negara members, and even the local community leadership.

The group urged for it to be replaced with elections instead.

"We only democratically elect MPs and state legislative assemblypersons once every five years.

"Malaysians do not democratically elect the representatives of the other structures of governance such as local council and Dewan Negara. They also do not democratically elect their local community leaders," the group said in a statement.

The statement was signed by civil society leaders Charles Hector and Rohana Ariffin.

The 16 groups included Aliran, Malaysians Against Death Penalty and Torture, the Centre for Orang Asli Concerns, Environmental Protection Society Malaysia, Gagasan Insan Progresif, North South Initiative, Sarawak Dayak Iban Association, Saya Anak Bangsa Malaysia and Teoh Beng Hock Association for Democratic Advancement, Malaysia.

Several international groups also endorsed the statement in solidarity.

Not freely chosen

Yesterday, DAP leader Tan Kok Wai made a call for the local council election to be held in Kuala Lumpur but was quickly rebuffed by Umno supreme council member Lokman Adam and Bersatu lawmaker Wan Ahmad Fayhsal Wan Ahmad Kamal.

The local government council election was abolished in the 1960s, after the then-opposition Socialist Front and People's Progressive Party scored victories in George Town, Malacca, and Ipoh.

"These state-federal appointed representatives are not freely chosen peoples’ representatives, and as such, is an abuse of power and a violation of human rights that affect or deny peoples’ ability to effectively participate in the governance of their individual local communities, their local government, the senate and also Malaysia.

"State-federal government generally tend to appoint party members or supporters as peoples’ representatives in these other structures of governance – but if there was an election, these appointed persons may never even be chosen by the people," the group said.

They claimed that state appointments undermine the peoples’ right to participation in government when views and positions of the people can easily be ignored by these state-appointed representatives who listen more to the appointing authority and not the people they are supposed to represent.

"In Malaysia, even in the smallest communities like villages and residential neighbourhoods (taman), the leadership continues to be state-appointed rather than being democratically elected," it added.

The group even suggested the abolition of the Dewan Negara if the right for the people to directly elect their senators was not established. - Mkini