The case for local council elections
The time is ripe for people’s representation in local government.
SOMETHING happened in 1963 at my mukim (sub-district). Sungai Balang is one of the 11 sub-districts of Muar, situated at the southernmost part, bordering the district of Batu Pahat. It had a population of less than 10,000 back then. When Penghulu Omar Abdul Samad retired, an election was called to find a new head.
I was in primary school when it happened. I am not sure if it was a practice in Johor to elect a penghulu mukim (sub-district leader) but many village elders told me that it was an experiment on the part of the Johor state government.
It was probably the first and the last election to appoint a penghulu in Johor. After that, all village chiefs were appointed.
And what an occasion it was. Two local personalities were eligible to contest. Atan Ma’an, a former policeman from my village, Sungai Balang (which is also the name of the mukim), and Suradi Hj Hussin, a former teacher, who was born and raised in another village, Pt Yusof.
It was a heated contest, replete with campaigns and posters. Atan was using the symbol of a fish and Suradi that of a rooster. Atan won by a razor-thin margin.
It was historic for many reasons. It was a bitter fight that left the community divided for years to come.
Furthermore there was an issue of a “proxy fight” between the Malay community (represented by Atan) and the Javanese (Suradi), both communities were of equal number and living in their own enclaves.
Atan had a tough time managing the mukim after the election but he did remarkably well considering. He retired at the age of 55 and died in 2008.
The debate on local council elections have been surfacing particularly after the win by the Pakatan Harapan (PH) coalition. The Barisan government had been skirting the issue when it was in power. In fact, it dreaded having local council elections for fear that it would lose control.
The Ministry of Urban Wellbeing, Housing and Local Government has perfected the art of avoiding the subject altogether. No local govern- ment elections have been held since 1964. In fact under the Local Government Act 1976, local government members are appointed by the state government, so too the position of datuk bandar (mayors) for the cities.
That is about to change. There is a greater demand for local council elections. Elected members of councils will serve the public better. They will be held accountable by the electorate.
Questions pertaining to credibility, transparency and accountability will be better addressed with elected council members. Local councils too will be better managed and matters regarding abuse of power and wastage will be taken more seriously. On the whole, the exercise will benefit the residents.
It is heartening to know that there are groups advocating for election of mayors too. The Petaling Jaya Coalition (MyPJ), Penang Forum Coalition and Selamatkan Kuala Lumpur (SKL) were loud and persistent in wanting local council elections as early as next year.
In a press conference held by the three groups, they demanded that elections for mayors of Petaling Jaya, Penang and Kuala Lumpur be held by June 2019 and elections for councillors by December the same year. The elections of council presidents and councillors must be held every three years.
According to one of its spokesmen, Datuk M Ali, such elections would “institutionalise public participation, strengthen democracy and fulfil the expectations of the people in creating a new Malaysia where cities are people-centric, clean, safe, harmonious, vibrant and sustainable”.
He said that people’s representation in the councils was hijacked by political parties in the past.
“It has resulted in abuse of power and inefficient management in the local councils,” Ali said.
They have valid points to argue for the case of appointed represent- atives in city halls. While there have been good and credible mayors running city halls over the years, allegations of impropriety and misuse of powers have been raised from time to time.
One of the complaints is that city hall officials were helpless because they have to take orders from political masters.
In the case of Dewan Bandaraya Kuala Lumpur (DBKL), allegations of suspicious land deals under the former Federal Territory minister was a hot news item of late.
The Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission is looking into the matter involving 64 parcels of land sold by DBKL valued at RM4.2bil according to news reports.
What happened in my village 55 years ago had little bearing on the bigger agenda involving today’s local councils. But in a small way, the mukim election has shown the way forward. It is the spirit that matters.
Johan Jaaffar was a journalist, editor and for some years chairman of a media company, and is passionate about all things literature and the arts. The views expressed here are entirely his own.