While most eyes are on the Galas and Batu Sapi by-elections on 4 November, a couple of fascinating tests in the quest to deepen democracy in Malaysia have been scheduled for 14 November.
That’s when the Penang Forum is holding elections to determine its nominees to serve as MPPP and MPSP councillors. This pilot experiment is a prelude to the full restoration of local council elections some day in the future. The 13-14 November weekend is also when the PKR elections will move to Selangor, which will provide the biggest test for the party’s direct electoral process.
In Penang, so far 14 applicants have submitted their forms to be considered as candidates to contest in local council civil society nominees election. At least five of them are from the mainland (MPSP).
More candidates are expected to join in the fray before the closing date on 10 November. Application Forms are available HERE.
If you are a resident of Penang, have you also registered as a voter for these elections? Just email aliran (at) streamyx (dot) com and provide your name and contact details.
No one knows what to expect at these elections, but we hope that the collective wisdom of the people will result in the right candidates.
Some common questions and answers:
What is the structure of the local council?
Have a look at the MPPP or MPSP website for the structure.
Who will the councillors report to?
Under the present system, which is far from satisfactory, those who are political party appointees would report to their respective parties. NGO-nominated canddiates could give feedback to the NGOs they are involved in and give talks and feedback whenever requested. They could also inform the rakyat via press statements and speeches.What do councillors do and what authority do they have?
In brief, councillors are the decision makers on the policies and directions of the council, and they consider applications for planning/building approvals. They are the bridge between the council staff and the people. They are responsible for the direction of the council: what to emphasise, what policy to adopt in respect of urban services and planning, and how to manage the money collected from ratepayers. They also follow up with MPPP staff to make sure decisions are carried out expeditiously.Councillors are also expected to attend meetings, read the minutes, give suggestions and ideas, and go on site visits. At the end of the day, councillors are there to ensure that the councils efficiently serve the rakyat especially those who are already disadvantaged, e.g. persons with disabilities and the poor, and enable them to live in a sustainable environment that is not congested and polluted.
How much are councillors paid and who pays them?
Counicllors are given an allowance of RM700 per month and for every official meeting, an allowance of RM50 is paid. The money comes from the revenue collected by council from assessments, fines, application fees, etc. You can check out the the council budgets on the MPPP and MPSP websites.
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This is not an election !!!
The voters are NOT permitted to vote for their candidates !!!
Instead, the voters are to vote for the NGOs instead !!!
This is a scam !!!!!!!!!!!
Anyone can submit an application to be a candidate, subject to the criteria set out on the penangforum.net website.
The public is invited to vote for any candidate of their choice. They just have to pre-register as voters by sending an email to aliran (at) streamyx (dot) com indicating their names and contact details.
This is NOT an election !!
This is NOT an election open for the Penang voters.
This is a SCAM !!!
Who is “Aliran”?
Did the Penang voters give “Aliran” the power over who should be counted as “voters”?
One minute they talk about how much they love Penang and the next minute they talk about money, low allowances…
The job of a municipal councillor is to contribute and not to make money la…
Ah Soon, you would better stand in otherwise you are but just a noisy gong and the readers will look down on you.
All the best !
I will push for Transit Oriented Development, and show all the developers, the proper way of doing it.
Bravo, Ah Soon. You are welcome to join the bus. Unless you are in it, you will not know what’s happening.
Anil, Can we help Eu Soon to be nominated for Councillor? We shall all campaign storongly for Eu Soon, since he was accepted the challenge
RM700 is definitely a dirty cheap pay for a councilor. Since all of the sycophant supporters of LGe keep urging me to stand as a candidate, I would offer to stand provided that there is a platform for me to campaign. I would like to take the opportunity to outline the problem of the so called BEST services and provide the ultimate solution on solving the bus drop-off and pick up points. The BEST proposal wanted to build bus terminal which is a redundant, I will tell you why. If Penang Forum 3 willing to provide me the opportunity, you… Read more »
Councillors are given an allowance of RM700 per month
That figure surely belongs to hardcore poverty level
No wonder nobody interested !!!
Please find a job as helper or cleaner. You can easily earn RM 1000++ per month
Don’t be stupid and greedy. I’d recommend the Councilors who can afford it, to give the entire 700 to the nearest charity and ask that the RM700 allowance be dropped to a 0.88 sen token of appreciation WITH RM60 allowances dropped to 0.08 sen per meeting. If you want to be rich go set up your own business instead of pushing to burden tax funds like this. This is the government and people in government should only be here for altruistic purposes NOT wealth. Government should look for ways to LOWER TAXES and if they keep giving allowances or raising… Read more »
I will suggest that every ADUN should be given RM 1 000 000 during the first year as non-taxable personal bonus and RM 3 000 000 for each MP.
This way will motivate the very best talents in corporate world to join the public service works.
Imagine that every ADUN and MP has the million in the pocket and equipped with real world experience of excellent administration, his or her constituent surely will be benefited.