Sprinting to make their mark

Shahidan (left) and his deputy Jalaluddin presenting aid to a resident at Flat Seri Lempah in Taman Desa, Kuala Lumpur. — Filepic

Kuala Lumpur folk are vocal.

They are ever ready to express their views on how the city should be run.

Their diverse demographics sometimes result in conflicting interests among different segments of the community.

And in the past three years, the capital city has seen a change in its leadership at the federal level three times.

As a result, new policies have been introduced and older ones abandoned in a short span of time.

In this fast-changing scenario, the new Federal Territories Minister Datuk Seri Shahidan Kassim and deputy Datuk Seri Jalaluddin Alias must provide clarity on what direction the city is taking.

Unlike Selangor that is headed by a mentri besar, Kuala Lumpur is governed by the Federal Territories Ministry.

Opposition MPs had, in the past, argued that the Federal Territories Minister’s post should go to an MP of a Kuala Lumpur constituency, so that he or she could better understand and address issues in the city.

This matter was raised during former Federal Territories minister Khalid Abdul Samad’s time, a Shah Alam MP, and again during the tenure of Tan Sri Annuar Musa, who represents Ketereh.

But historically, only a handful of lawmakers holding the post were Kuala Lumpur MPs.

Only Tan Sri Shahrizat Abdul Jalil (who was acting minister briefly), Tan Sri Zulhasnan Rafique and Datuk Raja Nong Chik Raja Zainal Abidin fulfilled that proposed criterion, while Datuk Seri Tengku Adnan Tengku Mansor was a Putrajaya MP when he held the post.

Shahidan will have to prove to folks in this city that being an MP from a town outside of the Klang Valley will not make a difference in doing the job.

The Arau MP had repeatedly said during events that he planned to adopt a hands-on approach in administering the city.

He made a media splash early this month when he shared his personal cellphone number in the Dewan Rakyat.

While some were cynical, others lauded him for his attempt at being transparent and accountable.

Meanwhile, Jalaluddin must have realised by now that Kuala Lumpur is a different ballgame compared to his Jelebu parliamentary constituency.

He has cultivated a reputation for being media-friendly and is often on the ground to listen to problems and suggest solutions.

Another thing to note is that unlike a mentri besar, who enjoys majority support among assemblymen, the minister sitting in Putra-jaya is dealing with many MPs from the opposite camp.

This means that tension between the ministry and Kuala Lumpur MPs is inevitable.

One notable incident was Seputeh MP Teresa Kok’s criticism of Annuar’s free trade area initiative.

When he was heading the Federal Territories Ministry, Annuar had alluded that some MPs were playing up issues for political mileage.

Shahidan and Jalaluddin are Umno lawmakers, while Titiwangsa and Bandar Tun Razak have Bersatu MPs, namely Datuk Seri Rina Mohd Harun and Datuk Kamarudin Jaffar respectively. The rest of the Kuala Lumpur MPs are from DAP and PKR.

But having a minister on the same political side as the MPs does not guarantee a friction-less administration as shown by the spat between Khalid and Segambut MP Hannah Yeoh in 2019 over the Taman Rimba Kiara housing development issue.

At the local level, the minister is also responsible for appointing members of the Federal Territories Residents Representative Council (MPPWP) for each parliamentary constituency.

This is unlike in Selangor, where assemblymen have a say in the appointment of councillors to the local authority.

So the minister can terminate the service of MPPWP representatives appointed under a previous administration.

At present, plenty of issues in the country’s capital city require attention, and Kuala Lumpur folk have high expectations of Shahidan and Jalaluddin.

The new minister and his deputy will have to present their 100-day report card in about five weeks.

What will be in it?

Will Kuala Lumpur’s denizens be satisfied with their performance?