Civil society groups under the umbrella of Penang Forum 3 are inviting the public to participate in elections on 14 November to determine their nominees to serve as MPPP and MPSP councillors in 2011.
These pilot elections are a small first step in the journey towards the full restoration of local council elections in the future. Although many shortcomings in the process leading up to 14 November will inevitably crop up (given the constraints Penang Forum is operating under), the aim is to get the public used to the idea of having elections at the municipal council level.
Not all ‘NGOs’ are public interest groups. Groups such as Federation of Malaysian Manufacturers and the various Chambers of Commerce are more like lobby groups representing the interests of their members.
On the other hand, the civil society groups that are under the Penang Forum (such as Suaram, Aliran, Sembang-Sembang, PHT, and Malaysian Nature Society) advocate issues that are of concern to the wider public i.e. public interest issues.
And so the Penang Forum is inviting the public to participate in the process of determining (through elections) who the civil society nominees for local councillors on the island (MPPP) and mainland (MPSP) will be. If you want to become a municipal councillor or have a say on who becomes one, this is your chance.
Invitation to Penang Forum 3: Elections to determine civil society nominees to serve as MPPP and MPSP Councillors for 2011
Date: Sunday, 14 November
Venue: Penang Chinese Girls School Alumni Hall (directly opposite St Nicholas), along Jalan Bagan Jermal.
Time: 9.00 am – 3.00 pm
Registration: RM10 (vegetarian lunch/tea provided) (RM5 for students)
Penang Forum is committed to helping bring back local elections to Penang to promote democracy, transparency and accountability. Pending that, Penang Forum would like to see a more transparent appointment of civil society’s representatives in MPPP and MPSP and is asking that for 2011, there be five civil society councillors appointed for Penang Island and another five for Seberang Prai.
We are calling Penang Forum 3 to elect nominees for these positions.
You are invited to participate in this process by:
- either standing as a candidate in the elections that would determine civil society’s representatives to serve as MPPP and MPSP councillors for 2011
- or voting in the elections on 14 November.
Call for Nominations
To have the election of civil society representatives in the local councils, we need candidates! So we are calling for nominations!
If you are interested, you will need to fill a nomination form and have a proposer and a seconder ready. The form can be downloaded from the penangforum.net website or picked up from the Aliran office.
To submit your nomination (closing date 29 October)
Please send your nomination form to Penang Forum 3,
c/o Aliran, 103 Medan Penaga, 11600 Jelutong, Penang
or fax it to (04)6585197
To participate and vote in the elections (closing date 11 November)
All Penang residents are invited to participate in the Penang Forum 3 event and vote in the elections on 14 November. To register, please email aliran@streamyx.com or phone Aliran at 658 5251 during office hours, Tuesday to Saturday. Registration fee will be collected on the day of the forum.
Please visit Penang Forum website for more information.
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LGe ‘s fortune will still at the peak come the next general election. Those who are worry that he might lose better spend their time make sure that LGe fulfill all the electoral promises that he made. This including the local election, freedom to information, hill side development, proper public transit for Penangites, public declaration of asset and etc.
This is totally bull…!!
The election for local city council should have been a DIRECT LOCAL COUNCIL ELECTION, not through an additional layer of NGOs!!!
Isn’t that what this is? I can see the request for a quota – which is nonsense in direct elections – but what makes you think that only members of the NGOs can stand?
Politics are not confined to electoral participation. Only partisan politic is confine to electoral endeavor. I prefer to be a king maker than to be a king. When both Pakatan and BN only managed to win with slim majority, my influence will become great. Like it or not, a 1 or 2 percent swing of votes will shaken the foundation of LGe administration. LGe can choose to ignore me at his own detrimental. Each and every issues I meted out to him is causing great problem to LGe which he or his sycophant supporters can’t denied or ignored. Look at… Read more »
Ah Soon
Please educate Gerakan folks first before you try it on others. They need rehabilitation.
Why should I bother with Gerakan? Gerakan is dead! I read the fortune of LGe, discovered that he will be able to last (in power) for another 15 to 20 years. Anwar has no luck at all except for a period between 1981 to 1993, that mean he will not be the PM. LKS also facing the problem of bad luck, which mean the road to Putrajaya is almost hopeless. The whole scenario will only change if Anwar is send to jail on the sodomy charge. If BN want to stay in power it should leave Anwar alone. With Pakatan… Read more »
All of you only interested in electoral politic not the real issues. That explain why all the wrong thing being done by LGe yet all the sycophant supporters can’t even debate with me except asking me stupid question like what do you expect LGe only worked less than 3 years. What? Do you expect LGe to clean the … of KTK? Why don’t you stand as a candidate? All those are in the mind of sycophant supporters of LGe. Can you expect this Bolehland to progress?
But of course the sycophants will always support the Lim Dynasty at all cost !
That is a given.
That is why DAP is so much like UMNO.
Gerakan K.. congrats. Wish you all the best in advance.
See if I’m around to chip in.
Our PM has shown great fiscal irresponsibility by announcing a 5 year moratorium on toll increases to please voters without revealing that it will cost the Government a further RM5 billion in toll compensation
As the saying goes, there is no free lunch. The people’s joy that there will be a 5 year moratorium on toll-rates was short-lived. UEM has announced that under the current concession agreement, the Government is likely to have to further compensate the toll concessionaire nearly RM5 billion for the freeze in toll rates.
Try this site and match and apply the knowledge from here to any supposed NGOs ‘leading the charge’ in Local Council Elections. Be very cautious of those with vested interests and identify them immediately so the Rakyat will know who should not be voted for.
http://www.freedomadvocates.org/articles/private_property/are_scenic_byways_another_way_to_steal_your_property_rights%3f_20080402288/
Dear all, why involve in such a low pay, hand tightened and mouth stitched work ???
I don’t expect taking funny order from LGE !!!
I hate working with mentally challenged people !!!
By the way, I already plan to run as DUN candidate in next GE. So, no way for such funny municipal councillor post !!!
Ya. Gerakan K, Ong Eu Soon, Tunglan & Pearl Where are you. Hope to meet you at the forum. Let’s see your credentials when you talk so much to condemn the state government. Prove to them all what you can do. Don’t NATO the rakyat.
It’s not so much about credentials or titles or academic qualifications or experience, as a right minded attitude and willingness to address abuses, be incorruptible by those with vested interests in ‘power’, and being immune to inducements to allowing of conflict of interest. The crowd had better understand that a retired street sweeper could be a safer choice than a Dato Dr.CEO! An added clause could be that any proof of wrong doing by this Councillor must immediately result in a spot election to re-elect again, otherwise would be as if no Local Council elections had occured as we tolerate… Read more »
See you personally in next GE.
I will like to nominate Ong Eng Su and Pearl. They can bring Penang to glory.
Anil
Your fervent readers like Eu Soon, Gerakan k and tunglan can volunteer themselves to be councillors since they like to talk so much. Hopefully they can take action as well.
I like the sound of this! Correct me if I’m wrong though – there’s currently no practical state commitment to local government elections, is there? If I’m right, this makes the public interest groups’ efforts all the more laudable – they are completing the construction of their half of the bridge and leaving no excuses open for government to ‘meet them half way’. I suppose there’s no reason why public interest groups shouldn’t go all the way and run their own elections, is there? They would of course be only ‘mock’ elections, but I think it would send out a… Read more »