Gerakan has given all municipal councillors in Penang, except for one, the thumbs down and called on them to quit for not delivering efficient service to ratepayers.

"They should quit to allow other responsible persons to become councillors and provide better service to taxpayers," said state Gerakan organising bureau chief Teh Leong Meng.

The Penang Island Municipal Council (MPPP) has 22 councillors appointed by the current Pakatan Rakyat state government.

According to Teh, Gerakan’s seven-month report card disclosed that, except for DAP councillor Tham Weng Fatt, all other councillors discharged their public duties very poorly.

Tham, said Teh, showed enthusiasm and passion in serving the people "even from his hospital bed", in reference to when the DAP strongman was warded for serious illness.

DAP Paya Terubong assemblyperson-cum-councillor Yeoh Soon Hin, emerged as the worst of the lot in Gerakan’s report card.

"The public at present refer Yeoh as the Paya Terubong councillor, which means he has failed to serve other islanders," said Teh, adding that MPPP councillors should not only serve certain areas.

"MPPP councillors should serve all ratepayers, not just particular constituents," he told a press conference at Gerakan’s headquarters in Georgetown today.

Also present were previous Gerakan councillors, Teoh Hong Cheong and Dr Thor Teong Gee.

The Gerakan report card also claimed that apart from Tham, the other councillors were not easily available or accessible to the public, failed to carry out field work, did not communicate with ratepayers and consistently failed to address and resolve public complaints.

"Many islanders do not even know who are the councillors are," said Teh.

MPPP’s councillors comprise 10 from DAP, seven from PKR, four from non-government organisations and one from PAS.

Not a genuine assesment

In an immediate response, DAP councillor Tan Hun Wooi said Teh's criticism was more a political attack than a genuine assessment.

"What he said about me, Yeoh and the other councillors is untrue. We have addressed and resolved so many public complaints, including those unsolved by the previous BN administration," he told Malaysiakini today.

Under the current system of governance, councillors are allotted constituencies in order to provide effective and efficient service to ratepayers.

Another Pakatan councillor Harvinder Singh said each councillor handles and resolves some 15 to 20 public complaints per month and most of the grievances were conveyed directly to councillors.

"Only 20 percent of the complaints are referred through elected representatives," he said, adding that Teh was obviously unaware about the current set up.

A random check by Malaysiakini revealed that although most councillors were carrying out their tasks responsibly, some, especially appointees from NGOs and inactive Pakatan members, were not up to the mark.

During the state DAP annual convention early last month, delegates raised this issue and demanded that the party leadership replaced inactive councillors next year.