The Penang state government has appointed 10 new councillors for Penang Island City Council (MBPP) and Seberang Perai Municipal Council for a period of one year, starting Jan 1.

This takes the total number of local councillors to 48, 24 for MBPP and another 24 for MPSP.

Among the new faces are Penang Transport Master Plan's (PTMP) fiercest critic - Penang Forum’s representative and historian Khoo Salma Nasution.

Khoo Salma is an active defender of the state’s heritage, being a key leader in the Penang Heritage Trust since 1989, and is currently the NGO’s vice-president.

She replaces former councillor and well-known critic of the PTMP, Lim Mah Hui who decided to quit his post which he held since 2008.

Mah Hui and Khoo Salma had been questioning the state plan to address traffic woes via the RM27 billion PTMP, which involved reclamation works and the creation of artificial islands in the southern part of the island.

The duo landed in hot water with the state government after Penang Forum sent a letter to the Unesco World Heritage Center in Paris, asking it to review the state’s heritage status, which might be affected by the PTMP.

But today, Lim congratulated Khoo Salma for being appointed councillor during the press conference held at his office on Komtar’s 28th floor.

Councillors can claim up to RM4k in allowances

State executive councillor in-charge of local government Chow Kon Yeow said the appointments were in line with Section 10 of the State Government Act, where the administration could appoint a minimum of eight and maximum 24 councillors for each local council.

“The local councillors must be residents of the local council where he or she is appointed, they must have experience in council work, and at least be an expert in their chosen fields,” Chow said when announcing the councillors for the 2017 term.

Chow noted that each councillor was entitled to allowances of not more than RM4,000 per month.

He said councillors were paid a fixed monthly allowance of RM2,500 each, RM100 for attending a maximum of 12 council meetings and participating in official state government or council events.

They were also given a telephone allowance of RM300 per month, he added.

MBPP councillors would be sworn in tomorrow at City Hall, Esplanade, at 8.30pm, while MPSP councillors would be sworn in on Friday at the Council’s headquarters in Bandar Perda, Bukit Mertajam.

Chow thanked the former councillors for their contributions to the local authorities and welcomed the new ones to their posts.

He said this was good news for Chong Eng, who heads DAP women wings and the women, family and youth council in the Penang government.

“There are eight women councillors, more than 30 percent of the quota in MBPP,” he said.

“However, for MPSP, there are currently only three women councillors,” he added.

Other councillors under the NGO category in MBPP are Shung Yin Ni, who represents Penang Chinese Chamber of Commerce and Noor Syazwan Mohd Amin, from Persatuan Peniaga Melayu Pasar Malam Pulau Pinang.

The NGO representative in the MPSP is Hamizah Abdul Manab.

Chow also announced two new councillors appointed by PKR in MBPP - Tan Chiew Choon and Shahrudin Mohamed Sahriff.

There are five new councillors for MPSP - Thomas Loh Wei Pheng (DAP), Joshua Woo Sze Zeng (DAP), Dr Seow Kheng Tian (PKR), Fadzil Abdullah (Amanah), while another from PKR will be appointed next week.