Kayveas has hit a raw nerve

PPP president M Kayveas seems to have hit a raw nerve in criticising the shortcomings of local councils, which are without a doubt not accountable to the public.

What Kayveas has said is nothing new or contentious. This is something Aliran has been highlighting for many years but our views have been consistently blacked out.

There has been a lot of arbitrariness and lack of transparency in the projects that have been undertaken, resulting in wastage and allegations of corruption. One recent example of such high-handed arbitrariness was when the Penang local authority reportedly warned motorists that they are not allowed to park their cars in parking bays with defective or missing coin-parking meters. Apparently, motorists who do so are liable to be given a ticket if the enforcement officer happens to stumble upon this 'offence'! Surely, if the council is providing a service (parking bays), it is their business to ensure that the meters are in working order. The public should not be inconvenienced or, worse still, punished for the council's lack of maintenance especially when parking bays are so limited and public transport is so atrocious.

As for wastage and lack of transparency, take a look at the tacky 'beautification' project at the Udini Road roundabout in Penang, which sparked a lot of criticism from Penangites. Over on the mainland, it was revealed last year that the Seberang Perai Municipal Council (MPSP) racked up a huge bill for freshly cut flowers, delivered once a week, as part of a five-year contract that was worth RM1.5 million or about RM5,700 a week. This was supposedly meant to "brighten up" the council's office.

Any proposed policy or major project must be brought to the attention of the public for debate and discussion so that the people's views can be considered first. In fact, local council meetings should be open to the public. What valid reason can there be for excluding ordinary people from council meetings - unless there is something to hide?

The lack of accountability has its roots in the way councillors are selected. Under the present system, political loyalists are rewarded by their political masters with appointments as town councillors. The terms of office of these councillors appear to be at the whims and fancies of their political masters. Whether they perform or not, the councillors continue to warm their seats. It is not surprising therefore that these councillors don't feel answerable to the people, who generally do not even know who they are.

The only way to bring back accountability and transparency is to bring back local government elections - which are the norm in any civilised, democratic society. Local elections, where it is the people who decide who should be elected as councillors, will go a long way in forcing councillors - and by extension, local councils - to be accountable to the public.


P Ramakrishnan
President
4 October 2005

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