THE Klang Municipal Council's (MPK) swearing-in ceremony for new councillors will be delayed due to its impending upgrade from municipality to city status.
Selangor local government and tourism committee chairman Datuk Ng Suee Lim said the delay was necessary because of the extensive preparations needed for the upgrade, and not a sign of operational inefficiency.
Ng said MPK would officially be known as Majlis Bandaraya DiRaja Klang (MBRK) from Feb 5 onwards following the proclamation by Selangor Ruler Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah.
Out of 12 local authorities in Selangor, Klang remained the only local authority yet to have councillors sworn for the 2024-25 term.
Klang’s city status had received approval from the Federal Government, the Sultan of Selangor and the Mentri Besar.
"This is a transitional period, and the upgrading of the council will not pose significant issues. Our focus is on ensuring that the council members are sworn in under the new city status, making their roles more representative," he said on Monday (Jan 29).
He said the temporary lack of councillors did not affect links between Klang residents and the local authority.
Asked about Umno’s decision to hand over 20 local council posts in Selangor in exchange for 373 village development and security committee chairman posts, Ng said the matter had yet to be discussed at the Selangor executive council and state Pakatan Harapan supreme council level.
"The decision will be made after consultation with all the parties involved, including the Mentri Besar, who will make the decision.
"We are committed to listening to our coalition partners and maintaining an open attitude towards all demands. We have to remember that this is a new partnership and situation.
"As we are comrades, we respect their views and there will be many points to go over. While there is no perfect decision, our aim is to make the best... decision."
He added that a meeting was expected soon to discuss the proposal, but did not specify a date.
