Several former Seberang Perai (MPSP) municipal councillors have formed a society to care for their own welfare and obtain feedback from the people on the performance of new councillors.

The society members would then recommend issues related to the cleanliness, licensing and selection of councillors to the council, said former MPSP councillor Teoh Seang Hooi.

Teoh said the selection process of councillors can be "more transparent".

But, he said, this does not mean that the current process is not transparent, only that it can be further improved especially in terms of setting the criteria for candidate selection.

NONE "Although the power to select is up to the respective parties, each should set criteria, which should consider the person's social service record, educational background and the acceptance level by the local community," said Teoh ( right ), at a press conference yesterday.

"The parties need to obtain feedback from the local community, whether a candidate is suitable or not," added the DAP Nibong Tebal division head.

"This is especially important when we are talking about restoring local government elections," he stressed.

The initiative comes days after Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng was questioned on the appointment of Penang Island Municipal Councillor Nur Fitriah Adbul Halim, who had been selected to fill the Malay and gender quota without being nominated by any party division.

Fourteen new councillors who were sworn in by MPSP on July 2, and Teoh was among those dropped.

MPSP has a total of 24 councillors, with 10 from DAP, nine PKR, two PAS and NGOs three.

Teoh said the society's functions also include obtaining feedback on cleanliness and health issues from the residents of Seberang Perai and the quality of service of the freshie councillors.

"To look after the interests of former MPSP councillors according to their contributions when they were in service," he said.

Teoh said pending a court decision on whether Penang can hold local government elections, the councils should implement a proper mechanism "to reflect the people's will".

He was referring to the Federal Court's hearing of the Penang government's application for leave to restore local government elections.

The court hearing sets in motion the state's plan to restore local polls denied Penangites since 1965.

Teoh said the group held their first meeting on July 3 prior to winning the Registrar of Societies' approval on July 15.

The society's membership is open to those who became ex-MPSP councillors after 2008, when Pakatan Rakyat took over the state government.

Teoh said the association also welcomed BN councillors who had served in the council from Jan to March 2008.

"This society transcends political parties and is not limited to Pakatan councillors only," he said.

However, when asked why allow only those who served after 2008 if they had really wanted to "transcend" political parties, Teoh said it was the society's choice.

"Every society has its own criteria for membership," he said.

"If we had really wanted to stop them (BN councillors) from joining the society, we could set the entry date as 2009," he added.

"But we still welcome their opinions and if they need assistance, we will still help them," he said.

Teoh said state executive councillor for Local Government and Traffic Management Chow Kon Yeow has been informed about the society.

The society, however, does not need recognition from MPSP but the group will be writing to its president Maimunah Shariff and Chow to arrange for a discussion on how all can work together.

To date, it has seven committee members, and can co-opt another five, with the total number of members at 14 and aiming to recruit about 50.