KUALA LUMPUR: State governments fear a loss of reliance if local councils are elected, Muda deputy president Zaidel Baharuddin told a forum here today. He said opposition to local elections extended to political parties on both sides, and was no longer confined to Barisan Nasional.
Speaking at a workshop on politics here, Zaidel said state governments had limited powers of taxation, while local councils generated revenue through property assessment taxes, licences and other fees. They also played a key role in implementing state policies, including those related to land use and development.
He said state governments faced constitutional and financial constraints, making local councils important sources of revenue and instruments for implementing state policies.
“The problem when you have mayors who are not elected is that they are not answerable to you,” he said at a session on reform of local government. He proposed introducing a directly elected mayor for Kuala Lumpur as a pilot project for local democracy.
He said Kuala Lumpur residents could currently vote for members of Parliament, but lacked state-level representation, while the city’s administration fell under the federal government.
“Look at Kuala Lumpur not as a state, but as a city,” he said. Although local council elections would not eliminate corruption or lobbying, electoral competition could improve accountability and governance.
Zaidel also dismissed concerns that local elections would be too complicated to organise. He suggested that voter eligibility could be verified through property assessment receipts or utility bills showing two to three years of residence for tenants.
He criticised the current system of public town hall meetings, saying their scheduling and structure made participation difficult for working residents. Electing councillors who could regularly attend planning and zoning meetings would be more effective, he added.
Helmi Abu Yahya, a senior lecturer at Universiti Malaya's public policy institute, said a lack of political will among ruling parties was the main obstacle to restoring local council elections.
He also said Malaysia lacked dedicated independent bodies to monitor local government performance and advocate for municipal reform. Greater civic participation was also needed, pointing to low public turnout at hearings on the draft Kuala Lumpur Structure Plan 2040.
“When public turnout is virtually non-existent, top decision-makers view the public as unprepared for local democracy,” he said.
Local elections were held from 1956 to 1965 before being suspended, and then abolished a year later. A royal commission set up in 1965 called for local elections to be restored; however, the federal government decided against it and enacted the Local Government Act 1976, effectively suspending local elections.
The law empowers state governments to appoint mayors, presidents, and councillors, rather than having them elected by the public.
In 2008, the Pakatan Harapan-led states of Penang and Selangor attempted to revive the polls, to meet election promises, but to no avail.
In February 2024, housing and local government minister Nga Kor Ming said local council elections were not a priority as his ministry was focussing on other areas – such as road safety and cleaner public toilets and drains.