FOR city councillors on mainland Penang, the workday rarely ends when office hours are over, with complaints about potholes, flash floods, traffic congestion and fallen trees coming in at all hours.
Seberang Perai City Council (MBSP) councillor Muhammad Zuki Ahmad, 59, said handling residents’ complaints had been a daily affair throughout his seven years in service.
“My area has a mix of semi- urban and rural communities.
“Besides potholes and flooding, we receive complaints about damaged public amenities and fallen trees, particularly in villages hit by strong winds,” he said.
Zuki, from Parti Amanah Negara, said councillors forwarded complaints to the relevant departments regardless of residents’ race or political affiliation.
Although assigned to Bukit Mertajam, he also accepted complaints from other parts of Seberang Perai, including Nibong Tebal and Kepala Batas.
He said residents sometimes approached councillors for financial help, while cases involving zakat and welfare assistance were referred to the relevant agencies.
Zuki was speaking during “A Day as a City Councillor MBSP 2026” programme at MBSP headquarters in Bandar Perda.
Organised by Penang Youth Development Corporation (PYDC) and MBSP, the programme gave 26 young participants an inside look into local government administration, decision-making and public service delivery.
MBSP councillor from DAP C. Linggeswaran, 44, in his speech, said road conditions, street lighting and traffic congestion top the list of complaints in the Bagan area.
“I am available 24 hours a day, but there are three councillors in my area, so we work together to solve people’s problems,” he said.
Fellow DAP councillor Heng Yeh Shiuan, 41, said infrastructure, cleanliness, traffic congestion and flooding remained constant concerns.
Heng, who has served for 10 years, added that councillors sometimes received complaints outside the council’s jurisdiction.
Welfare cases were referred to elected representatives’ service centres or constituency coordinators, while crime-related matters were directed to the police.
She added that councillors also helped residents with enquiries on business licences and parking stickers for persons with disabilities.
State youth, sports and health committee chairman Daniel Gooi Zi Sen, in his speech, said youths needed opportunities to engage directly with government institutions and understand the challenges of public administration.
He said such exposure would help them put forward practical proposals rather than merely voice opinions.
Sidang Muda member Nur Dania Elanor Idris, 24, said the programme helped her understand how community complaints were channelled to the council.
The culinary graduate said she gained a better understanding of how local democracy functioned.
Another participant, engineer S. Ragunath, 29, said he learnt that decision-making at the local level was not solely the responsibility of MPs and assemblymen.
Participants attended a question-and-answer session with MBSP departments and joined a river cruise along Sungai Perai.
Present were state local government committee chairman Jason H’ng, Seberang Perai mayor Datuk Baderul Amin Abdul Hamid and PYDC general manager Edry Faizal Eddy Yusof.
