14
speak up!
ON New Year’s Eve, a group of
councillors from the Petaling Jaya
City Council (MBPJ) was sum-
moned to the Shah Alam office
of the exco member in charge of
local government, Ronnie Liu.
He wanted them to evaluate the
presentation made by a party
interested in extending the lease
of the swimming pool in Jalan
Sultan. What has Liu got to do
with the council’s affairs and the
extension of the lease? Why was
it held at his office when it was a
council matter? There’s no debate
as to whether any decision made
at the presentation is binding on
the council because Section 9 of
the Local Government Act states
that “the state authority may from
time to time give the local authority
directions of a general character,
(emphasis is the writer’s) and not
inconsistent with the provisions
of this act, on the policy to be fol-
lowed in the exercise of the powers
conferred and the duties….” So,
Let councils do their job
while “a direction of a general
character” may be acceptable, a
specific directive (including the
selection of contractors) will never
be binding.
In July last year, the Klang
Municipal Council decided
that all hawker and temporary
licences and allocation of stalls
and lots would be carried out by
the council. It had worked well
but last week, this policy was
reversed. Instead, two individuals
went around collecting RM200
from hawkers and issued them
receipts which can be bought
from stationery shops. There
are no records to show that the
council reversed its decision, but
at a meeting last Wednesday, Liu
TELLING IT AS IT IS
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tion)
said: “My men are collect-
ing money but the stalls
cost much more and they
are topping it up to pay
the council. The hawkers
are not educated and they
do not know how to fill
forms and deal with the
council.”
Then came the
clincher: “I cannot trust
my council staff to do the CitizenNades tent people have been
job because they lack ex-
perience … They cannot by R. Nadeswaran
be relied upon to do the
job and that’s why I got my people to
collect the money.” (The two people,
incidentally, Liu admitted were his
assistants).
If the system worked well for
Deepavali and Aidilfitri, why will
it not work for Chinese New Year?
Liu went into the intricacies and
intrigues of allocation of stalls, saying
each festival came with its own set
of problems. “During Deepavali they
fight over sites, the Chinese hawk-
ers don’t have that problem because
every year they know where they
should set up,” he said. However, the
key question remains as to whether
any individual exco member can
overrule a council decision.
Then Liu had this to say: “My
council staff is being cheated by the
hawkers. Instead of paying RM5
per day per stall for the pasar pagi,
they are paying just RM1 and getting
Israel and Hamas must negotiate
I ABHOR violence of any kind and I
strongly condemn Israel’s atrocities
in Gaza as much as I condemn other
terrorist attacks. No matter what the
reason or how noble the cause, the
killing of innocent people, especially
children, is inexcusable. There can be
no justification whatsoever for these
murderous acts.
Much of the blame has been placed
on the Israelis but I blame Hamas as
well. When it launched its rockets from
within Gaza, it knew well the little
damage it would inflict and the con-
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away with it.” But if the
stipulated rate is RM5,
isn’t this tantamount to
dereliction of duty unless
of course they were given
directives to accept less?
As for the role of the
councillors, Liu said:
They lack experience…
They are new...” So, is Liu
suggesting that incompe-
appointed to councils?
Section 10 of the act states
that councillors should
be people who “in the opinion of the
state authority have wide experience
in local government affairs or who
have achieved distinction in any pro-
fession, commerce or industry, or are
otherwise capable of representing the
interests of their communities in the
local authority area”.
So, are we to assume that this was
not the criteria used when the coun-
cillors were appointed? And let’s not
forget that Liu’s party championed
local government elections as listed
in its election manifesto last March.
So if the councillors are not “capable
of representing the interests of their
communities”, shouldn’t they be
replaced with those who have wide
experience in local government af-
fairs?
Liu has to also explain the ration-
ale behind his directive to local coun-
cils that they appoint members of the
letter
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sequences of its attacks. It knew well
that the Israelis would respond. It was
willing to sacrifice the innocent women
and children to start this unequal war
– to achieve its objective – to get the
world to condemn Israel. The world
is now on its side but what a hollow
victory and what a sacrifice.
There can be no peace in Gaza and
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Real Estate and Housing Developers
Association to its one-stop centres?
Although he has since clarified it was
a mere “suggestion” (after vociferous
protests from councils), the thought
of having developers to discuss and
approve applications of their breth-
ren should have never crossed his
mind. Is it another indication that the
councillors lack experience?
Having said that, can someone
explain the actions of the Selayang
Municipal Council which two weeks
ago ordered the closure of a shop sell-
ing coffins following complaints from
nearby residents. Some of them stay
above the row of shops where this
outlet is situated. But mysteriously,
the council rescinded its decision?
Why? Apparently it was done on the
instructions of an exco member.
If this is true, then here’s an appeal
to our state authorities – please allow
the councils to carry out their jobs
without interference. Allow them
to function as autonomous bodies
which are tasked with implement-
ing your policies which fall into the
category of “directives of a general
nature” but if you get involved in day-
to-day operations, it spells doom for
the system of governance. You can’t
go on sloganeering “competency, ac-
countability and transparency” when
you don’t even practise it.
R. Nadeswaran maintains that mem-
bers of local councils must be elected,
but short of it, competent people
should be appointed – not bungling
politicians or cronies. He is editor
(special and investigative reporting at
theSun. He can be reached at: citizen-
nades@thesundaily.com
no amount of resolutions passed by the
UN or any organisation will change the
situation. Any armed intervention from
any source will only escalate the war.
Only the two protagonists can bring
about peace and unfortunately both
are as stubborn as mules. Are they
not able to see that violence can only
breed violence.
Thank God that we are living in a
peaceful country.
Anti-War
Kuala Lumpur