Selangor government asked to speed up appointment of councillors

A COALITION of non-governmental organisations (NGOs) is decrying the delay in the appointment of councillors, saying it has affected the operations of local government.

The Coalition of Good Governance (CGG) has criticised the Selangor government for dragging its feet in the appointment of the councillors.

It said the delay does not augur well for transparency and accountability and denies people the right to representation.

The coalition claims to represent 30 NGOs.

Community Communication Centre Malaysia (Komas) director Jerald Joseph, who held a press conference on the matter recently, said the state government did not have an effective mechanism on the appointment of councillors.

“Pakatan Rakyat has been in power since 2008 but each time, there is a self-induced tardiness in ensuring a smooth appointment of new councillors.

“All local councils are forced to call off sub-committee meetings as there are no councillors to make decisions,” he said.

Other NGOs at the press conference were Friends of Kota Damansara chairman Jeffery Phang, Friends of Kelana Jaya Park secretary Ir. Esham Salam, LLG Cultural Development Centre executive member Wong Swee Nee, Komas executive director Arul Prakash and Suara Rakyat Malaysia executive director Yap Swee Nee.

Jerald added that CGG wanted the Selangor government to speed up the appointment of councillors.

His sentiments were echoed by Phang, who also questioned the state government’s stand on having NGO representation.

“We are outraged that there are only eight NGO representatives in the 12 local councils in Selangor.

“NGOs feel cheated as they were promised a quarter or 72 council seats after Pakatan’s victory in the 2008 general election”.

“Although, it is claimed that there are 71 councillors from NGOs, only eight are truly independent,” said Phang.

He claimed that many of the NGO and professional appointees were political party members, with some holding positions.

He urged the state to only appoint 72 credible NGO representatives.

“It would be good to have the names of all nominees made public together with their curriculum vitae to ensure greater accountability,” he said.

Phang, who is also the immediate past president of Komas, had recommended a set of criteria for the appointment of councillors.

They are:

• Appointment of councillors must be a participatory process;

• The representation must reflect the diversity of interests in society;

• They should comprise local residents – former headmasters, supervisors with problem-solving skills or professionals;

• All appointees should be competent, and have integrity; and

• Councillors should prepare annual reports related to their portfolios.