One wonders what portfolio does M Kayveas have in the Prime Minister's Department but it can be assumed to be some kind of a check-and-balance ombudsman committee. 'Little Napoleans' as he describes the municipal councillors is very apt as this is what they are anyway.

While the glory of being a municipal councillor is given to them, they take the fullest of advantage to make the most of the position at the expense of the poor rakyat who are expected to keep paying and paying. When local council taxes are increased, the rakyat should be informed and given a very good reason for asking such an increase. If the increase is to just cover the deficits that have occurred because of their spending sprees then the people have all the right to object under Article 5 of the Federal Constitution, which involves the right to life and liberty.

The so-called "study trips" have become a yearly affair which the councillors look forward to as it is actually an all-expenses paid trip in the name of learning what the other country has to offer in terms of the governance of local councils. Transparency is the last thing on the agenda of these local authorities because they don't have the people to answer to at the end of the day.

If we were to revert to the old system of having municipal elections it might be the cause for another mass racial riot incited by the ruling elite in the many guises that they are so good at assuming. Therefore, local councils have become so immune to the fact that they are not doing what they are actually created to do - that is to serve the public efficiently.

When local governments begin to act with the people's interest in mind we might see the dawn of a new era where transparency might become the new work culture but till this illusion becomes a reality we have to just keep highlighting the follies of the local councils so that the people are aware of what they are being subject to.

These overseas trips must stop and the funds for the extravagance must be used to clean and maintain public amenities in their jurisdictions. A clean and efficient local council will lead to a better governed state government which will then be more accountable to the people. We need more people to become whistleblowers so that transparency is not just an illusion but a possible reality in time to come.