The Penang State Executive Council has made a historic decision to restore local government elections for Penang which was suspended 45 years on 1st March 1965 because of Indonesian Confrontation which ended in the latter part of 1966.
If elections to the two Municipal Councils of Penang, the Municipal Council of Penang Island (MPPP) and the Municipal Council of Seberang Prai (MPSP) are held at this time, it would be doubly meaningful because the last local council elections in Malaysia was held half a century ago in 1961.
In fact, there would be a triple significance as the first-ever elections held in the country was for the Municipal Council of George Town on Dec. 1, 1951 – marking the 60th anniversary commemoration of the start of the nation’s electoral history.
Following the historic decision of the Penang State Government to restore the third vote, with the Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng writing to the Election Commission to conduct local government elections for the two municipalities in Penang, the Cabinet on Wednesday should give the “green light” for legislative action to be taken to allow state governments like Penang to restore local government elections.
The restoration of local government elections would be honouring the pledge given by Bapa Malaysia and first Prime Minister Tunku Abdul Rahman to Parliament on March 1, 1965 that “as soon as” the Indonesian Confrontation had ended, local council elections would held.
The restoration of local government elections was however delayed when a Royal Commission of Inquiry on the Workings of Local Authorities was established.
What is significant is that the Athi Nahappan Royal Commission Report on Local Authorities recommended the restoration of local government elections and I have no doubt that this would have been one of the top priority unaccomplished missions which Tunku Abdul Rahman would like the country to complete for him.
The Najib administration is talking about a 1Malaysia Government Transformation Programme (GTP) Roadmap.
Are the Prime Minister, the KPI Minister, Tan Sr. Dr. Koh Tsu Koon and the Najib Cabinet prepared to make the restoration of local government elections in states where the State Government is ready for it a distinct feature of the 1Malaysia GTP Roadmap?
#1 by limkamput on Sunday, 7 March 2010 - 1:27 pm
While it is good that Penang and now Selangor have initiated it, the call should rightly be for local elections to be held for the whole country, particularly the Federal Territory of Kuala Lumpur. It is simply beyond any logic to have Dewan Bandaraya Kuala Lumpur managed and operated a group of warlords not accountable to residents in KL.
#2 by limkamput on Sunday, 7 March 2010 - 1:41 pm
Yes, sacking Zul Noordin is a right decision. But please don’t forget that Wee fellow from Wangsa Maju also. Some of these MPs think the party needs them more than they need the party. It is time they wake up to reality. Who is Zul Noordin now? No body is indispensable and whatever his/her personal value, agenda and motivation, the principles and the objectives of the party must come first and foremost.
Never mind about temporary setback. The rakyat will eventually respect the principles the party holds dear. We must forever abhor racism, bigotry and corruption. Leaders have a role to make our people less racist, not making them more racist as being done in the past 50 years. Chinese leaders within PK must do more and fight more for deserving Malays and Indians. Similarly, Malays leaders must speak more against racism, bigotry and ketuanan.
#3 by All For The Road on Sunday, 7 March 2010 - 1:43 pm
A good move by the PR state governments of Pulau Pinang and Selangor as promised in their 2008 election manifestos, but I doubt the EC will carry it out giving 1001 reasons. More so, the BN central government will block such a move.
Just time will tell!
#4 by limkamput on Sunday, 7 March 2010 - 1:52 pm
Another point: all these turncoat PK MPs are just talking big. Frankly, if you have to resign from your seats when you quit PK, I don’t think you fellows will be that brave or “principled”. All of you are scumbags. You just want to keep all the allowances without having to provide any service to your constituents anymore.
#5 by Dap man on Sunday, 7 March 2010 - 2:02 pm
Hong for the EC to conduct the elections or for Cabinet to give the green light is like waiting for the moon to drop on one’s lap.
No way will they agree.
just wait to hear some gobbledygook from the EC as why it cannot conduct the local council elections.
#6 by Dap man on Sunday, 7 March 2010 - 2:03 pm
oops….
“Hoping for the EC to conduct the elections …..
#7 by ENDANGERED HORNBILL on Sunday, 7 March 2010 - 2:38 pm
Look, Najib, would rather abolish the GE if he can, i think. Am I wrong.
This guy knows nothing about the virtues of democracy or human rights, i see.
#8 by lopez on Sunday, 7 March 2010 - 2:39 pm
bird of feathers always flocks together…it is mother nature ways….
just respect others and others respect you.
give and thou shall receive
you give hell then hell will comes to you
you give excuses then excuses will be returned.
stop bluffing..
#9 by Ken G on Sunday, 7 March 2010 - 3:09 pm
BN will do all it can to thwart local council elections. To them this is one of the political spoils to be distributed as patronage. Let’s see what obstacles they put up.
#10 by frankyapp on Sunday, 7 March 2010 - 3:37 pm
Umno/Bn I think must be shaking pretty un-comfortablely now that Penang and Selangor have declared their intention to hold local election. If EC or NR’s cabinate give it a “cold turkey ” approach ,then I think the late Tunku Abdul Rahman would come out of his grave to haunt them. I also remember some time ago,certain Umno people and youth have challenge PR to fullfiling PR’s promises to bring back local election in its control states and now that is done,lets see these guys come out loud to support it and not like a frightened dog running away with its tail in between its legs.
#11 by -ec- on Sunday, 7 March 2010 - 8:06 pm
did ng yen yen and the ministry of tourism overinflated the number of singaporean tourists to malaysia?
The Singapore-Malaysia border, Asia’s answer to the Bermuda Triangle
by global travel industry travel news, march 6.
http://www.eturbonews.com/14748/singapore-malaysia-border-asias-answer-bermuda-triangle
#12 by dagen on Monday, 8 March 2010 - 8:37 am
Bapa malaysia. Bapa malaysia. Kepala otak. Cakap lagi nanti allah umno naik marah.
#13 by dagen on Monday, 8 March 2010 - 8:42 am
No two ways about it. Local election is a must.
#14 by Black Arrow on Monday, 8 March 2010 - 11:32 am
EC will not approve local council elections because EC is another of BN’s subsidiary companies. The only way to have local council elections is to vote out BN in GE13.