A conference to re-examine the contents of a 1965 Royal Commission of Inquiry report on the workings of local governments will be held on March 13.

Organised by DAP's thinktank Research for Social Advancement (Refsa), the conference will also serve to commemorate the 50th year since local government elections were abolished.

"We aim to encourage greater discussions on local authority and its role in this country," Refsa deputy executive director Wong Shu Qi said today.

The Royal Commision of Inquiry on local government was headed by Senator Athi Nahappan to review the system of local government in Malaysia, following the suspension of local government elections.

The report included recommendations on the design, organisation, governance structure and finances of local authorities and the call to restore local council elections.

However, the recommendations were ignored by the federal government.

"Therefore, the conference will discuss further on the relevance of the report to our local authorities today, and to escalate the campaign for local democracy by having a full review of the report," Wong said.

Special address on Malay rights

The conference, to be held on March 13, will feature notable speakers such as Kluang MP Liew Chin Tong, Sepang MP Hanipa Maidin and Bukit Bendera MP Zairil Khir Johari.

Global Movement of Moderates chief executive officer Saifuddin Abdullah will give a special address on "Will local government elections erode Malay rights" at the conference.

The conference is open to the public and will be held at the Parkroyal Hotel in Kuala Lumpur.

Local council elections were abolished on March 1, 1965, ostensibly due to the Indonesia-Malaysia Confrontation, which was followed by a declaration of Emergency throughout the country on 1964.

Since Pakatan Rakyat came to power in Penang and Selangor, there have been renewed efforts to restore local government elections in order to promote transparency and democracy.

However, Umno and PAS have been resisting such ideas on grounds that local government elections would marginalise the Malay community and cause racial strife .