Voters should demand that all political parties and election candidates should state their stand on the restoration of local council elections.
The Penang government has just gazetted the Local Government Elections (Penang Island and Province Wellesley) Enactment 2012, which came into effect on 5 July. This is a welcome move as the enactment allows for the restoration of local council elections, which were abolished in the 1960s.
Of course, the BN politicians are saying that the state law conflicts with section 15 of the federal level Local Government Act (LGA) 1976. This section states that laws on local government elections will cease to have effect.
But the Penang government had gazetted a notification in February exempting local authorities from section 15.
If BN politicians at the federal level really have the interests of the people at heart, they need to amend the federal laws to unambiguously restore local democracy in the country – instead of standing in the way of the people’s aspirations. As it stands, they may say they “choose Malaysia” – but do they choose the people of Malaysia and their aspirations for local democracy?
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Gerakan K, please do not open your mouth and prove your ignorance to all and sundry. Have you ever heard of “townhouse meeting” practised in America when Alexis de Tocqueville visited in the 1800s?
Of you do not know, please seek knowledge before you come out with such stupid comments that defy our collective imagination, okay?
“1800s”
ha ha ha hee hee hee ha ha ha hee hee hee ha ha ha hee hee hee ha ha ha hee hee hee ha ha ha !!!
Hi Gerakan K, Have you forgotten or are you IGNORANT on how the local council elections were run in the 1960s in the then Malaya? If so, don’t try to spin and run down Aliran. I am certain that Aliran as an NGO and its individual members have done more honourable things for society than whatever you have done for society thus far! Incidentally, I am not a member of Aliran. For the local govt elections then, we had parties like Labour Party, Party Rakyat, United Democratic Party (headed by the late Dr Lim Chong Eu), Alliance Party, Peoples’ Progressive… Read more »
Hi everyone,
Correction in the second line:
…………. in the late 1950s and the subsequent 1960s …..
… DUMNO only knows how to use money to buy over and moving the goal post….
Hi everyone, Let us wait and see whether the UMNO-led Federal Govt dares to challenge the legality, vis-a-vis the Federal Govt Act, of the Pg State Govt gazette of its enactment on Local Govt Elections!! We need to have more of such state enactments to test the DOUBLE-FACE stand and spins of the Federal Govt on various issues! Anil, it is a good idea for candidates from both sides of the political divide to openly declare their support or otherwise for Local Govt Elections! The people would then be better informed on their potential elected representatives, both State and Federal… Read more »
I fear the worst for example aliran style “local election”. What type of democracy is that ??? Do you want aliran mini local election ???