Federal Territory PKR and DAP candidates launched a joint declaration today to improve accountability and transparency in city governance should they be elected.

PKR secretary general Khalid Ibrahim, who is contesting in Bandar Tun Razak, said building flats alone was not enough and that homes, not just houses, should be built.

"Homes are where you have all the facilities. The design of Kuala Lumpur should be to build homes complete with facilities for quality living," he emphasised.

seputeh parliamentary seat campaign 290208 tan seng giaw "This declaration is a reflection of the idealism that we wish to give to Kuala Lumpur," Khalid added.

World class garden city

DAP national deputy chairman Dr Tan Seng Giaw, who is defending the Kepong seat, called on Klang Valley voters to support opposition candidates if they wish to see a world-class tropical garden city.

"The KL Declaration is meaningful. It stresses the need for local government elections. It can also pressure City Hall (DBKL) to improve its efficiency and raise the quality of living for city dwellers," he said.

"Fiver years ago, DBKL drafted the KL Structural Plan with its 190 policy articles. This was gazetted on Nov 4, 2006. They said that the plan would be completed in December, 2006. But since then, we’ve heard nothing more of the plan," Tan added.

Besides pledges to bring back local government elections, the declaration also promises to tackle crime in the city.

To do this, the declaration will seek to ensure that 50 percent of the police force is tasked with purely crime fighting duties. Currently of the 100,000 police personnel in the country, only 6.6 percent comes under the Criminal Investigation Department, it said.

seputeh parliamentary seat campaign 290208 opposition candidates The six-point declaration also includes promises to ease traffic congestion and improve public transportation, address environmental concerns, tackle inflation and preserve cultural heritage.

PKR candidates present were Khalid, Nurul Izzah Anwar (Lembah Pantai), Tian Chua (Batu), Ibrahim Yaakob (Setiawangsa) while DAP were represented by Tan, Fong Kui Lun (Bukit Bintang), Teresa Kok (Seputeh) and Tan Kok Wai (Cheras).