Tuesday, March 23, 2010

The 3rd Vote and Radical Reform

Both Penang and Selangor have written to the EC for Local Government Elections. The EC appears to have discussed this in length and will make an announcement soon.

“We have completed our in-depth discussions into the matter. Wait for our decision that we will announce tomorrow,” EC deputy chairman Datuk Wira Wan Ahmad Wan Omar told The Malaysian Insider last night.

Whilst an elected local government is what Pakatan has promised in their manifesto; on hindsight and having seen first hand how the Local Government function, it believe that an elected local governemnt may not be the solution that rate-payers want.

Even as it is now, with a fully PR friendly elected council, things are not moving as fast and as efficiently as it should. So imagine if there is an elected council, there will definitely be a larger mix of ideologies in the council. The councillors will be spending more time politicking instead of getting things done.

At the Local Council level, all the rate-payer wants is transparency and accounctability, that rate payer's money is not wasted. More importantly, rate-payers want to see street lights that work, drains that flow and roads that are free of pot-holes, enough parking spaces, recreational spaces and free flow of traffic in commercial areas and most of all, a safe community.

Politics with all its good intent, cannot provide this because it is the nature of politicians to object to their opponents views and suggestions even if it is a good suggestion.

Therefore, i am of the opinion that the 3rd vote may not be the solution. I fully agree with the views of PAS:

“We are considering many possibilities, perhaps 60 per cent are elected and 40 per cent get nominated. If that is the case, then the groups that are under-represented after the election can get representation,” he added.

read more:
http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/index.php/malaysia/57170-third-vote-must-represent-all-races-say-pas

The state governemnt reserves the right to appoint members to the council to maintain executive control and ensure a fair balance of representation.

Of the present 24 councillors, I propose 8 to be elected, 8 appointed from amongst political parties with the balance made up of NGOs and professional bodies. I further propose that all 8 elected councillors be made FULL TIME councillors, being paid a salary equivalent to their scope of responsibilities (as compared to the public sector)

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