The Selangor government today announced the appointment of Selangor Housing Board chief executive officer Alinah Ahmad as Petaling Jaya mayor effective Jan 1, next year, making her the first ever female mayor in the country.

NONE Menteri Besar Abdul Khalid Ibrahim said Alinah ( left ) replaced Mohamad Roslan Sakiman who was appointed deputy state secretary (development).

Alinah's vast experience in administration at the state and federal level can help her be an effective mayor, Abdul Khalid told reporters after chairing the state executive council meeting in Shah Alam, today.

On Oct 1, Mohamad Roslan was given a 24-hour notice of his transfer as deputy state secretary (development) and this had caused an uproar within the Petaling Jaya City Council (MBPJ) as well as a protest from the state government.

In his reply, the Chief Secretary to the Government Dr Ali Hamsa, who described the transfer as a routine exercise due to a vacancy and a promotion, had agreed to put the transfer on hold for a month to enable Mohamad Roslan to complete his duties.

Meanwhile, a group of 50 landowners from Kampung Baru Subang and Kampung Baru Sungai Buloh gathered in front of the Shah Alam City Council office in Shah Alam to protest against a 7.5 per cent assessment rate increase for 2013.

Sungai Buloh resident YN Chong, 50, who headed the group, handed over a protest letter to Shah Alam mayor Mohd Jaafar Mohd Atan at his office at 10.30 am.

Chong claimed that his assessment rate would increase from RM2, 400 this year to RM45,000 next year while businessperson M Ratnam Uttaya, 76, from Kampung Baru, Sungai Buloh, said the increase was inappropriate for there was hardly any improvement to the infrastructure in the area.

- Bernama