Federal Territories Pakatan Harapan unveiled its leadership lineup today, and claimed that they would highlight the alleged excesses of the Federal Territories Ministry, particularly the influence they are said to exert over the Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL).

Tan Kok Wai, the Federal Territories Harapan chairperson, claimed that the ministry is being used as a tool to influence the city hall into serving Umno’s interests, instead of those of city dwellers.

“The Federal Territories Ministry has been turned into a tool to influence DBKL’s policies and decisions.

“This ministry seems to be founded solely to control DBKL to achieve Umno’s narrow aims,” he said after attending the first FT Harapan leadership council meeting in Kuala Lumpur, where the leadership lineup was decided upon and announced.

Tan also highlighted a number of other issues faced by those in Kuala Lumpur, including the lack of transparency in DBKL’s budget figures, and the alleged sale of government-owned prime land below market prices to those said to be allied to Umno.

“Our meeting today has also taken a serious view on the suffering of the city dwellers under BN. We drew attention to several issues that burdened the people and have created excessive unfairness.

“We will bring these issues to the people of Kuala Lumpur so that they will better understand the problems and issues affecting their welfare, harmony, and their rights as stakeholders in the capital city,” he noted.

In the press conference following the council meeting, Tan also addressed the parking fee collection being conducted by Yayasan Wilayah Persekutuan (YWP).

YWP is ostensibly the Federal Territories Ministry’s welfare arm, but as Tan claimed, it is incorporated under the Companies Commission, with directors made up of Umno leaders, including the Federal Territories Minister Tengku Adnan Tengku Mansor.

Tan added that the Federal Territories Harapan will formulate a manifesto that would supplement the national-level manifesto, as well as address the grouses of people in Kuala Lumpur and Putrajaya in particular.

Asked what would happen to Federal Territories seats previously allocated for PAS to contest in the previous general election, Tan said that this is still being negotiated by a national level Harapan committee. 

However, he did note that Federal Territories Harapan is prepared to contest in three-cornered fights, and is aiming to win all parliamentary seats in the Federal Territories.

The leadership lineup that was announced at the council meeting today encompasses those in the federal territories of Kuala Lumpur and Putrajaya – but not Labuan, which instead falls under the Sabah Pakatan Harapan leadership council.

The lineup is as follows:

Chairperson: Tan Kok Wai

Deputy chairperson: Idris Ahmad, Dr Mohd Hatta Md Ramli, Fong Kui Lun, Muhammad Suhaimi Yahya

Vice-chairperson: R Santhara Kumar, Ahmad Tarmizi Mohd Jam, Teresa Kok, Muhammad Zahid Md Arip

Secretary: Lim Lip Eng

Assistant secretary: Othman Karim

Treasurer: Che Zam Hamzah

Youth chief: Zahin Zainal

Women’s chief: Niekmah Adam

Election director: Zahir Hassan

Manifesto director: Sally Sian Keng Eng

Information bureau chief: Zaharudin Othman

Legal bureau chief: Zulhazmi Shariff

Strategic director: Onn Abu Bakar

Exco member: Ismail Yahaya, Angus Ng, S Ganapathy, Hayatul Kamil Termudi