It’s the mayor’s job to oversee KL

AN interesting development from last Friday’s Cabinet announcement was the absence of a Federal Territories Minister.

There is talk that the functions of the FT Ministry may be parked either under the Prime Minister’s Department or under the Local Government Development Ministry.

This “demotion” means that Kuala Lumpur folk would not have a minister of their own for the first time since 2004.

But can there really be a justification or a need to have an FT Ministry in the first place? In a bloated Cabinet, perhaps, but not when the new government is trying to control costs with a leaner one.

Besides, does not Kuala Lumpur have a fully functioning City Hall or DBKL, as well as a mayor or Datuk Bandar? Yes, the ministry not only takes care of KL, but also oversees the administration and development of Putrajaya and Labuan – still, there appears to be an overlap with the functions of City Hall.

A check on the ministry’s website reveals a lot of jargon and public relations speak.

Under “functions”, it says that the ministry is responsible for planning, management, implementation, monitoring and assessing progress and development that are sustainable with a focus on Kuala Lumpur as the capital of Malaysia and a world-class city.

This is a mouthful, but it also shows a clear duplication of functions because that is exactly what DBKL’s role is in the first place.

Why is there a need for a “minister overlord” when KL has its own functioning authority equivalent that exercises most of the powers of local government under the Local Government Act 1976?

These Federal Territories, including Putrajaya and Labuan, should be brought fully under this Act in tandem with the rest of the country.

Just like the other city halls, for example Petaling Jaya and Kuching, this should incorporate a mayor and 24 councillors.

Currently, DBKL does not have councillors, but advisory board members who are appointed by the FT Minister.

The Local Government Development Ministry can then exercise administrative and federal policy oversight over DBKL. Not only will this hugely save costs but it will prevent unnecessary duplication in functions.

The public has long alleged political interference in DBKL affairs. The recent fiasco involving the contract extension of the current mayor Datuk Seri Mahadi Che Ngah lends credence to this argument.

Mahadi was appointed mayor in October 2020 and his contract has now been extended a further six months until the end of March 2023. But there was intense speculation in September that he would be replaced because the then FT Minister Datuk Seri Shahidan Kassim wanted a new face.

For the moment, Mahadi’s job is safe but based on precedent, a new government usually appoints a new mayor.

The greater metropolitan area of KL has an estimated 8.5 million population. With an annual budget of close to RM3bil, the mayor shoulders a heavy responsibility.

KL-ites tend to have a love-hate relationship with their city. We take great pride in KL’s fantastic shopping, glorious food, and world-class nightspots.

But we are also forever complaining about the endless traffic jams, limited parking spaces, the lack of hygiene in eateries, the number of vagrants and frequent flooding.

As a KL resident, I hope our Datuk Bandar will seriously look into these grouses, because we shouldn’t be calling ourselves a world-class city if even basic services like repairing the numerous pot-holed roads are not met.

To be fair, Mahadi has done some good work in his tenure as mayor. DBKL’s pilot project to transform the suburb of Wangsa Maju into KL’s very first Carbon Neutral Growth Centre is impressive and should be replicated in other townships.

This is a demonstration of what a greener, and more sustainable and liveable Kuala Lumpur can look like.

A significant feature of this township is that it will encompass the concept of a “15-Minute City”, which will provide residents with access to daily necessities that are within a 15-minute walk or bike ride, thus helping reduce daily carbon emissions.

In Wangsa Maju, there are five recycling centres and two urban farms. Some 17km of pedestrian walkways and bicycle lanes are being constructed. The Car-Free Days in designated areas as well as litter-free zones are both commendable initiatives.

Mahadi should also be given credit for the installation of cameras with 24-hour artificial intelligence functionality that have resulted in better traffic light management and improved crime monitoring.

Moving forward, what is critical is that the flawed policy and governance issues of the past are not repeated. It is time we rethink the need of an FT Minister. The mayor should do the job, and he should be held accountable.