Elaborate on any FIVE (5) major recommendations on the restructuring of local government as

recommended by the Athi Nahappan Royal Commission Report. (25 mark)

On September 21, 1965, the Royal Commission began work on the Athi Nahappans
proposals and submitted its report to the Ministry of Housing and Local Government on January
30, 1969. The main proposals have been recommended to the Royal Commission of Inquiry.
The Government, on the other hand, approved and rejected the most important proposals. The
government had a choice to accept either report but the Federal government accepted the
report of the Minority committee. There are five main recommendation that were acccepted.
There are five major recommendations on the restructuring of local government as
recommended by the Athi Nahappan Royal Commission Report.

Firstly, that every inch of country should be covered by a local authority. A local
government will be in charge of all administration. It would make government administration
easier and reduce the pressure on the central government. That is because every local authority
in the country has been administered by every administration. Nowadays, Malaysia already
covered by the Local Authority. For example, in Malacca, Majlis Bandaraya Melaka Bersejarah
(MBMB) will only covered its own local area. Same with Majlis Perbandaran Hang Tuah Jaya
(MPHTJ). They will not interfere each other.

Second, a local authority should be decentralized and fully elected members with
financial and administrative autonomy but subject to the control by state authority. According to
these proposals, local governments have been granted more independence and autonomy.
They are, however, still being watched. Local government is distinct in that it is an autonomous
entity with little autonomy, preventing misuse of power. In Malaysia, the local government are
decentralized and autonomous body. Each local government have their own law. There were
many laws governing local authorities since every state had their own laws. The entire
government servant are appointed. However, all of the law are bind by the Federal Constitution.

Third, the secretary of a local authority should be the chief administrator and executive
officer of a local authority. At the moment, the district officer serves as the local chief executive.
In a local government, the secretary serves two purposes. They served as the chief
administrator and executive officer, respectively. It would relieve the central government of
some of its responsibilities. PTD, for example (Head of the council). The District Officer are
responsible towards his own territory.
 Next, every local authority should have a management board. The management board's
duties, such as the authority's committees, will make decisions and review it. They will assess
all of the suggestions and select the one to implement for management. Petaling Jaya City
Council, also known as Majlis Bandaraya Petaling Jaya, is an example of a local authority with
its own management board. The authority committees for Petaling Jaya City Council will make
some recommendations in order to figure out how to accomplish their objectives and provide
benefits and transformation to the citizens.

Lastly, local government tribunal that has been set up for the purpose of dealing with the
complaint of the public. This tribunal was established so that members of the public could
express their concerns, needs, and demands. The Tribunal for Homebuyer Claim was formed
under the Ministry of Housing and Local Government. The government and the public approved
this tribunal for a variety of reasons, including the low cost and speed of the procedure.
Nowadays, each LG have their own Bureau Public Complaint (Biro Pengaduan Awam). Their
responsibilities are to manage all the comments and complains made by the public. They want
to get customer feedback. For example, all the people in MBMB can make a complaint in E-
COMPLAINT.

In conclusion, the key goal of the Athi Nahappan Royal Commission Report was to
investigate local government weaknesses and attempt to repair the existing structure, which had
flaws at the time. Furthermore, the report was created in order to gain a better understanding of
Malaysian politics and economics in order to meet the standards and efficiency of local
governments in each state.