It’s now six years since the DAP and PKR promised to enact local council elections. Yet neither Penang nor Selangor, which are under the control of the Pakatan Rakyat, has succeeded in doing so. What exactly is the problem with local council elections that it is taking so long to implement? And why is there so much secrecy surrounding the appointment of councillors?
Local Government Act
Local council incompetence — whose fault?
Ampersand by KW Mak
IN my previous column, I had presented two scenarios of how people interpret the law; with one viewpoint from the public and the other from the local council. Indeed, many people have complained about the inefficiencies of local government and the lack of coherence in how things are done, causing a few to disregard due […]
Why should we care what MBPJ does?
Ampersand by KW Mak
MOST ratepayers are unlikely to know this. But according to the Local Government Act, if a local council incurs a debt it cannot pay, ratepayers can be compelled to pay up instead. Section 45 of the Local Government Act states that should the local council default in payment of a loan for three months, the […]
Privatising rubbish collection: Who benefits?
By KW Mak
THE federal government wants to privatise rubbish removal services under the 10th Malaysia Plan (10MP) and have local councils focus purely on enforcement. Technically, the federal government cannot legally force a local government to enter into a privatisation contract. A contract’s signatories would have to be representatives from the government entering the contract itself. However, […]
