YOURSAY | 'You’re paid to do minister's work, focus on restoring local govt polls.'

Priority is fixing everyday issues, not local govt elections - minister

Newday: Local Government Development Minister Nga Kor Ming, I agree that in the short term, local council elections are not a priority.

The current problem is little to no accountability to those with power in local council structures.

We just have to look at end-of-year financial statements versus so-called start-of-year budgets and both provide little clear detail on how the money will be and has been spent.

There are little to no avenues for the public to critique or comment. This must change and doesn’t require elections, just accountability.

Try and navigate your way into highlighting simple issues like potholes, badly maintained parks or rubbish illegally dumped and see how you go. This must change as well.

Try and dive into property records - a massive mess but has been no change in many years. I look forward to changing with a big A for accountability.

Apanama is Back: Nga, I remember a long time ago your party kept on harping for a local government election (third election). Now, after becoming a minister, you suddenly change the tune.

Manyak pandai low (Very clever). Excellent, Nga. That is why people used to say that politicians know how to sweet talk and change their tune and script according to the situation.

By the way, you said: “Based on feedback, reviving local government elections is not a priority for the people at the moment.”

Kindly share with the people and voters the said feedback. I do not trust politicians at all.

Nga, while the everyday issues are important, they are the local councils’ (city and municipal) jobs.

You as a minister should work simultaneously to revive the local government's election.

As a minister, you need to think, and not do these menial jobs such as levelling the roads, making sure the street lights are bright, toilets are clean and drains are unblocked.

These are what you want, not what people want. People always want all these even before you became a minister in this ministry.

You are being paid for the minister's job. That easy ‘want’ should be delegated to the local councils and you need to focus on third votes.

Do not try to escape by feet dragging on third votes by saying people want this and that.

Mazilamani: Most timely and intelligently said but do other politicians, especially from the opposition have that kind of intelligence to understand and follow?

Those politicians doing good work always remain silent even if provoked for they don't want to be distracted knowing it is good for the people and nation.

However, those with crime baggage calling themselves orators are talking nonsense ceaselessly to justify their deceitful acts, committed in abundance.

PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang will continue to object to local council elections since it dilutes his space of control and influence when a councillor is seen to be intelligent and his good work clearly visible for all to witness.

BlueFish0451: Even though I am a strong believer in local government elections, I agree with Nga that we should take it a step at a time.

Show some results first to win over the confidence of the people. Prevent racists like Hadi from turning the issue racial.

Continue to strengthen Pakatan Harapan's position by winning the hearts and minds of the people with good governance and results.

Come the next election, win big and then push the reform agenda like local election easily.

For now, just be more careful because the bad wolves are waiting to pounce at every opportunity.

Siva1967: Now that they are on the side with the power, they are singing a different song.

I believe I posted here sometime back on the local government elections.

The government need not go on a full scale holding local government elections in every municipality but at least for the local councils with city status.

The election of a mayor and office bearer for Kuala Lumpur is extremely important since KL with a high population and large coverage does not have a state assembly since it is so-called administered directly by the federal government.

In most cities in the world, especially in developed countries, the mayor's post is an elected one instead of an appointed one.

Prior to the suspension of the parliament after 1969, KL municipality as it was known then held elections to elect its president, which was held by the late DAP MP and unionist V David for several terms.

As the story goes, the reason for not resuming the elections was said that Abdul Razak Hussein was not keen on seeing the nation's capital being helmed by a non-Malay hence the idea of "annexing" KL as a federal territory was mooted and as they say, the rest is history or should I say his story.

LionKing: Well, it does not matter whether elected or not, at least get the act together to resolve all issues for the time being.

How many motorcyclists have been killed due to potholes, improper street lighting, and stray dogs?

It all boils to the head who holds no one accountable.

Many restaurants are filthy, and toilets are in shameful condition. Maybe it is time we should all make all such filthy places viral.

People dumped rubbish by the roadside, inviting animals to scavenge for food. There’s no proper maintenance of landscaping.

Sub-contractors are not doing their work and there seems to be no supervision. If the heads of departments do not move around, how would they know what is going on?

Nga is doing a good job, and so is Transport Minister Anthony Loke. They are resolving problems.

So, what are the heads of the respective departments doing?

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