Comments on: Why is the BN against local elections?

By: Merah Silu

Merah Silu — Sat, 20 Mar 2010 16:09:21 +0000

Wong and many of your cronies are so advanced and prefer what you call ‘ketuanan rakyat’. I am still a Malay [Malaysian] living in kampung and prefer the traditional way of following our leaders. You could go to the UK and US as they are very advanced countries where the rakyat could decide on their own. So far we are okay and I know we will be okay without people like you who always disrupt the peace and harmony of this country. [...]

By: chinhuatw

chinhuatw — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 02:03:54 +0000

@Kim Gan,

Why should we fear politicking? If federal and state elections do not get us into any killing and looting sprees, why do you think the election of your local rep who may represent just perhaps 10,000 people would? Why would people lose their reason over local issues like roads or bridges or potholes?

It’s time for us to debunk the depoliticising fear-mongering propaganda laid down by, among others, Najib’s father.

By: mycuntree

mycuntree — Sat, 13 Mar 2010 13:10:26 +0000

I’m all for the revival of local elections. There is actually next to no real disadvantage for having it. I can see only good. Umno’s fear of local elections is obvious for they know that they have everything to lose if they allow it. Some very good and practical roundabout ways have been offered to overcome Najib’s objection. So just do it!

By: dominik

dominik — Sat, 13 Mar 2010 03:00:00 +0000

To overcome the objections by the BN government, I would agree with your third suggestion, i.e. to hold “mock elections” to appoint councillors. It would show the rakyat that the state government is giving some power back to the rakyat. Just like the ones held by the PR when it was holding power in Perak, when the various village heads were elected by the people themselves.

By: jimmy low*

jimmy low* — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 19:43:38 +0000

Enlightening. I would subscribe to the author’s writing.

By: hunkeyboy

hunkeyboy — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 18:50:12 +0000

All rubbish and unsustainable arguments.

Just look at UK or any of the “western democracies” that some of us slam. Do they not have elected councils in wards not necessarily represented in Parliament by representatives from the same parties? Yes, they howl, holler and bicker and vie to get each other out “the next time”. But the bottom line is that the residents, the people, are well served – they have full say and their interests come first, and they don’t lose their playgrounds and green belts to rich, influential and powerful parties.

The most essential factor in this whole local election issue is not heightening politicking, not the Nazri bogey of intra-party impasses, not security or unity or anything like that.

The most important thing is giving back to the people the right to decide who should sit in their local councils to serve them. This right is no less important or different from the origins of the social contract where ordinary people banded together to select and pay for those who would protect and look after the them, and the land they lived on, from marauders.

We, in Malaysia in this 21st century, still need precisely the same protection from even more virulent marauders. Hence the people at the local level must get to decide by free election who should represent them – not federally appointed figureheads. That about sums it up, the rest is just nasty ultra-conservative politics from the centre.

By: KIM GAN

KIM GAN — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 09:55:01 +0000

To avoid the politicking that may impinge on racial sensivities, perhaps the campaigning can be minimal and voting can be carried out electronically through the net, sanctioned and monitored by the EC and political parties.

By: Ashraf

Ashraf — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 06:39:10 +0000

Finally, Selangor and Penang are pushing for local council elections. Is it in response to PKR MPs deserting PR? Had Selangor and Penang pushed for it right after March 08, at least by now, after going back and forth between the EC, court and Federal Government, we could have a realistic picture if indeed local elections can be held at mid term.

By: chinhuatw

chinhuatw — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 06:35:36 +0000

The technical details of how local elections can be carried out by state governments is provided by the Coalition for Good Governance report prepared for Selangor.

URL (Parts 1-3):
http://www.facebook.com/notes/chin-huat-wong/selangor-commissioned-report-on-revival-of-local-elections-part-1/247296975465

http://www.facebook.com/notes/chin-huat-wong/selangor-commissioned-report-on-revival-of-local-elections-part-2/247312345465

http://www.facebook.com/notes/chin-huat-wong/selangor-commissioned-report-on-revival-of-local-elections-part-3/247314085465

I agree with @mock that we should just begin with mock elections. The argument that this may be illegal is red-herring.

By: hudson

hudson — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 05:23:27 +0000

There is no good reason for Najib to reject the 3rd vote for local council elections. The current local councils are just useless goons who just obey the state and do not really take care of their area.

To prove a point, even some BN component leaders like Gerakan’s Tan Keng Liang have been reported in the news recently opposing Najib’s rejection. Just imagine, your own coalition people also do not accept a rejection of the third vote. I won’t be surprised if it was PR which said it. But coming from those inside the BN just proves the point that Najib’s rejection is unacceptable even to BN people.