A coalition of residents' associations and civil society groups from Penang, Petaling Jaya and Kuala Lumpur welcomes the government's commitment to reinstate elections for city mayors and local councillors.

However, the groups – MyPJ, Penang Forum and Save Kuala Lumpur – told a press conference in Petaling Jaya today that the three-year estimate by Housing and Local Government Minister Zuraida Kamaruddin to hold these elections is too long.

Petaling Jaya City Council (MBPJ) councillor Derek Fernandez said that the government could start by amending Section 10(1) and Section 15(1) of the Local Government Act 1976 in next month’s Parliament sitting.

The amendments had put an end to all municipal elections and create appointed local authorities.

The government could also reinstate the Local Government Elections Act 1960, Fernandez added, which was suspended in 1965 during the confrontation between Malaysia and Indonesia.

"It will take even less than 100 days for them to amend these laws. After having done that, the implementation may take a longer time.

"You are looking at about 15 months to realistically hold local council elections," Fernandez (photo) said, adding that among the issues to be sorted out before implementation would be the electoral roll used.

Besides the Election Commission, Fernandez pointed out that the existing National Council for Local Government could be activated to carry out the process.

‘Hold mayoral elections by June next year'

In their statement, the groups said that the elections of mayors for the cities of Petaling Jaya, Penang and KL should be carried out by June next year, followed by elections for local councillors by December.

The elections for council presidents and councillors for the rest of Malaysia, they added, should be carried out within the minister’s three-year time frame.

Save KL chairperson Abdul Aziz Abdul Rahman (photo) stated that Kuala Lumpur residents must be empowered to elect their mayor as the City Hall (DBKL) had failed to gazette an overall plan for the capital city.

The senior lawyer said this was despite a requirement to do so under the Federal Territories Planning Act 1982.

"Until today, the plan is still not approved, despite the law saying in 1982 that it must be done as soon as possible," he said.

Abdul Aziz, a long-term resident of Damansara Heights, also expressed his hope that the new government would "democratise" Kuala Lumpur by restoring the third vote, and pass the local development plan after consultation with residents.

Repeated attempts to engage DBKL

Since 1982, Save KL vice-chairperson M Ali (photo) pointed out, there have been repeated attempts by resident associations to engage DBKL over the local plan.

The last of these was in October last year, when resident associations to were invited to meet then-Federal Territories minister Tengku Adnan Tengku Mansor.

"In October 2017 several residents' associations were invited by DBKL to meet with the minister. But on the eve of the function we were told not to come because the function has been deferred,” he said, adding that no meeting has been called since.

The groups also recommended that a third of councillors' positions should be reserved for civil society and community representatives.

Reinstating local government elections, which were last held in the country in 1964, was one of Pakatan Harapan’s election pledges.