[865] Of pushing for a democratic Petaling Jaya

I for some reason sees Petaling Jaya residents as the most progressive community in Malaysia – a Malaysian San Francisco perhaps. I don’t know why but Petaling Jaya somehow gives me the impression that it’s a city of literatis; city of intelligentsias; city of political consciousness (tag). Sometimes, even the bastion of liberalism in the country. One way Petaling Jaya could seal these perceptions among Malaysians is to exercise the third vote – residents of Petaling Jaya should elect their major.

Malaysians – and in effect, residents of Petaling Jaya – currently don’t have the power to elect their mayors. We – Malaysians – used to have that right before it was suspended on March 1 1965, during the height of the Indonesian confrontation against Malaysia. While peace between Indonesia and Malaysia has been restored, Malaysians have yet to regain the power to elect their mayors.

Petaling Jaya currently has its mayor post vacant; its first mayor retired after only two months at the job. So, the search for the next major is on:

Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Dr Mohamad Khir Toyo confirmed that a name has been forwarded for endorsement but said he could only “disclose this much information now.”

He also explained that District Officers did not include municipal council presidents. With this new development, speculation is rife that Petaling District Officer Mazalan Md Noor will be the one to fill the position left vacant by Ahmad Termizi Puteh who retired two months after becoming the Petaling Jaya’s first mayor.

Based on Dr Khir’s statement, two of the three other names earlier mentioned – Klang Municipal Council president Abdul Bakir Zin and Petaling Jaya Municipal Council (MBPJ) secretary Zulkepli Ahmad – are out of contention.

However, the third person, Gombak district officer Abdul Ghani Salleh, is still in the running.

There have always been complaints against inefficient city councils. I believe such inefficiency is caused by lack of accountability – those that are appointed to the posts are not directly answerable to those being governed. With the lack of accountability, the mayors will not have proper incentives to improve their service.

Reintroduction of local government elections will reintroduce incentives for mayors to improve their services because elections act as an effective carrot and stick model. With an election, the mayors need to either perform or risk being voted out of office.

Petaling Jaya has a strong urban community compared to most other urban areas. The residents of Petaling Jaya should use their influence to exercise their right to elect their mayor. If Petaling Jaya manages to reintroduce local government election, the city would seal its status as the most progressive city in Malaysia.