Excerpt from the article:
Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng said today the local election will involve two municipal councils: the Municipal Council of Penang Island (MPPP) and Municipal Council of Seberang Perai (MPSP).Before Penangites do a victory jig, another article by Debra Chong of Malaysian Insider at THIS LINK revealed that while Penang’s decision to conduct local government elections for two municipalities after a 45-year hiatus has received good response, the Election Commission (EC) might refuse to comply. Please read that article to understand the statements which throw some light on the challenges ahead.
If held, the elections will be the first in the country in more than 40 years since the federal government banned them in 1965.
“The executive council decided this week we will go ahead with the local government election,” Lim told The Malaysian Insider, adding the government has sent a letter to the EC on March 4 asking them to conduct the polls.
“We want to restore the democratic power to the people,” he added, pointing out that Penang was the first state government to move in this direction. Click HERE for more.
Personally, I believe that local council elections (abolished in the 1960's) provide more citizen participation in decision-making process thereby giving citizens more local democracy. We must realize that local elections are a fundamental component of the democratic process. At the same time, we must know that UMNO-BN and the EC are not in favor of this process which would make it more difficult to gerrymander constituencies. To a certain extent, local elections could affect the feudal patronage system being used by UMNO-BN for the rakyat would now have a bigger say in decision-making, instead of being at the mercy of a few powerful ones.
It is a long journey to get there but I believe the journey has begun and while many hurdles are ahead, with steadfast perseverance and via the right channels and medium, we will get there. Remember that the process of holding an official election must be decided by the federal government because of the “loophole” in the existing federal laws concerning polls. And the EC has the final say. As such, let's wait for the outcome with bated breath!
Congratulations to the Penang government for keeping to the promise that they made before the March 8 2008 elections. May the Almighty give them the wisdom and understanding to make this local election process a reality!
To understand issues related to Local Government, please visit THIS LINK that discusses many salient points including:
- Background
- What You Need To Know
- Flash points
- Basic Laws and Policies
- Procurement Policies
- Party Manifestos
- etc
Do leave a comment if you wish to share your views. Thanks! Have a nice day!
Unknown Dear Saudara Hafiz
Yes, I agree with you which is why I cited Debra Chong's article and explained why the EC would never agree. Still, there are ways to get round to it...er hopefully!
Thanks for sharing, saudara Hafiz...and for being a thinking Malaysian (Penangite?).
Take care and have a lovely weekend with your loved ones.
Cheers