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082-335531 |
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084-217343 |
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084-691105 |
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| WITHOUT DEMOCRACY THERE IS NO ACCOUNTABILITY |
Issuing parking summons, hawkers’ summons, health summons or even banning or shooting dogs indiscriminately appears to be the only function of local councils. And yet no summons are issued for illegal telecommunications towers. Why?
The people pay assessment. We have a right to expect good delivery systems whether in cleaning drains, cutting grass, tarring roads, good transportation and providing a safe and bright environment. But local councils fail to deliver basic amenities resulting in floods, traffic jams and the deadly aedes epidemic. Worse, local governments are unaccountable, unresponsive and often corrupt with ineffective and inefficient administration. Why such poor services and defective facilities?
The answer can be found forty years ago. On 1 March 1965, local government elections were banned on the pretext of facing the then Indonesian Confrontation. Local municipal and district councilors who were previously elected were now appointed. Promises that local elections will be restored upon the end of this national crisis were never fulfilled.
When a communist country such as China and an Islamic country such as Saudi Arabia allow direct democratic elections of village heads and municipal councils, Malaysia must allow grassroots democracy in our cities, districts and villages. When local governments are elected, they will have to perform and serve or else face the judgment of the people.
Democracy is a proven formula for progress, prosperity, freedom, good governance and equal opportunity. At the local level, democracy allows the people to decide on the solution to the problems they are familiar with. It is no accident that the richest countries in the world are all democracies.
Malaysia has a three tier level of government, namely at the Federal, State and local government level. Malaysians has only two votes at the Federal and state when we deserve three. There is no reason why elections cannot be held at the local level if it can be held at Parliamentary and state level.
Isn’t it ridiculous that Malaysians can select and decide on our Prime Minister at the Federal level and Chief Minister at the State level but have no right to elect our municipal councilors.
The time has come to return power to the people. So let us join hands to press for the third vote by restoring local government elections in Malaysia. Being taxpayers, we have a right to decide who represents us and how are taxes are spent. |
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| NO TAXATION WITHOUT REPRESENTATION! |
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