சிலாங்கூர் ஊராட்சி மன்ற கவுன்சிலர்கள்

Friday, June 20, 2008

Malaysiakini

சிலாங்கூர் ஊராட்சி மன்ற கவுன்சிலர்கள்
(செய்தி)

சிலாங்கூர் ஊராட்சி மன்ற கவுன்சிலர்களின் பட்டியல் முடிவு செய்யப்பட்டிருப்பதாக மந்திரி புசார் காலிட் இப்ராகிம் இன்று அறிவித்தார்.
மொத்தம் 288 பேர் தேர்ந்தெடுக்கப்பட்டிருப்பதாக கூறிய அவர் அவர்களின் பெயர்களைத் தெரிவிக்க மறுத்து விட்டார்.

அவர்களின் பெயர்களை அந்தந்த ஊராட்சி மன்றங்கள்தாம் அறிவிக்கும் என்று இன்று பிற்பகல் அவரது அலுவலகத்தில் நடைபெற்ற செய்தியாளர் கூட்டத்தில் காலிட் கூறினார்.

சிலாங்கூரில் 12 ஊராட்சி மன்றங்கள் இருக்கின்றன.

அந்தப் பட்டியலில் 25 விழுக்காட்டினர் நிபுணர்கள், சமுக ஆர்வலர்கள், கல்விமான்கள் மற்றும் அரசுசாரா அமைப்புகளைச் சேர்ந்தவர்கள், .

எஞ்சிய 75 விழுக்காட்டினர் பக்காத்தான் ரக்யாட் பங்காளிக் கட்சிகளின் உறுப்பினர்கள்.

அதிலும் கெஅடிலான் உறுப்பினர்கள் அதிகம் இடம்பெற்றிருப்பார்கள் என்று மாநில ஆட்சிக்குழு உறுப்பினர் ரோனி லியு கூறினார்.

உடற்குறை உள்ளவர்களும் அப்பட்டியலில் இடம்பெற்றிருப்பதாக காலிட் தெரிவித்தார்.

“இந்தப் பட்டியலைப் பார்த்தால், இதில் நாடாளுமன்ற உறுப்பினர்களோ சட்டமன்ற உறுப்பினர்களோ இடம்பெறவில்லை என்பதைக் காண்பீர்கள்.

முன்பு (பாரிசான் ஆட்சியில்) இதற்கு நேர்மாறாக இருந்தது”, என்று காலிட் கூறினார்.

49 women among 288 councillors

Friday June 20, 2008




49 women among 288 councillors
By WANI MUTHIAH and

FORTY-NINE women have been selected to serve as councillors in the 12 local councils in Selangor.

They constitute 17% of the total 288 councillors picked by the Selangor state executive council.

Mentri Besar Tan Sri Khalid Ibrahim announced this at a press conference in Shah Alam yesterday.

Khalid said 25% of those chosen were professionals, officials of non-governmental organisations and representatives of the disabled community.

The three component parties – PKR, DAP and PAS – of the Pakatan Rakyat coalition state government have been allotted 75% of the councillor posts.

On the selection process, Khalid said the minimum academic qualification set for the new councillors was at least a college diploma.

Khalid, however, would not reveal the names of the selected candidates, saying that the respective local council chiefs would announce them once the candidates had signed their letters of acceptance to serve as councillors.

“No names will be revealed at this time as we want those who have been chosen from the 900-odd applications to submit their acceptance letters,” he said.

It is believed that Khalid decided on having the confirmation letters from the candidates before announcing their names because among these selected are members of the Barisan Nasional component parties who may snub the appointment.

According to Khalid, certain professionals such as architects, engineers and real estate practitioners, who were not appointed councillors, would be invited to serve as advisers and allowed to sit in during meetings of the sub-committee or even the full-board meetings.

He said these professionals would attend the meetings as observers with no right to vote on any matter.

“All the councillors would serve a three-year term. For the first year, each would be monitored according to the zones in the respective districts. On completion of the first year we would evaluate their performance,” he said.

Khalid said none of the Pakatan Rakyat elected representatives, whether MPs or state assemblymen, had been selected as local councillors.

He said this was perhaps the main departure from the practice of the previous Barisan Nasional state administration that appointed its elected representatives as local councillors.

“We do not want any conflict of interest but a focused idea of serving and improving the neighbourhoods for the people,” he said.

State local government, research and study committee chairman Ronnie Liu said the new councillors would be given a three-day training at Morib to equip them with the knowledge of the local council laws.

“Except for the Orang Besar Daerah who represent the Selangor Palace in the local councils, most of those selected are first-time councillors,” he said.

Friday June 20, 2008

Disabled rep among 24 new city councillors in MBPJ
By DEBBIE CHAN and TAN KARR WEI

THE Petaling Jaya City Council will have, for the first time, representation from the disabled community on its board of councillors.

Animal Assisted Therapy for the Disabled and Elderly Association president Anthony Thanasayan is one of the 24 newly chosen councillors for the MBPJ.

Anthony has been fighting for the rights of the disabled community for years and his selection as a city councillor will definitely enhance the cause of the disabled in PJ.

“If it is true that I made it to the list, it's fantastic. We have always asked to be included in the decision-making process,” he said.

“We strongly believe in the motto 'Nothing about us without us'. We must be there to make the decisions,” the wheelchair-bound Anthony said.

Among the changes the plucky crusader would like to see are designated car parks for the disabled.

The list of new councillors includes some prominent names from the non-governmental organisations.

Two such persons are Suara Rakyat Malaysia executive director Cynthia Gabriel and Transparency International executive director Richard Yeoh.

Environment activist and lawyer Derek Fernandez, who has been making newspaper headlines for being vocal on various community issues, is also on the list.

The representation from community and NGOs is part of the Pakatan Rakyat-led Selangor government’s move to include members of the public in the decision-making process and to tap their views and expertise for the benefit of the community.

The rest of the names on the list are members of the three Pakatan Rakyat coalition partners – PKR, DAP and PAS.

However, none of the coalition’s elected representatives, whether MPs or state assemblymen, had been appointed as councillors.

This is a change from the previous Barisan Nasional state government where most of the elected representatives are appointed as councillors.

Among the people named on the list is former StarMetro reporter Mak Khuin Weng.

“There are some issues I would like to look into, like condominiums and privatisation of contracts.

These are the things that I've been following up as a reporter,” Mak said.

He looks forward to working with the other councillors to help resolve issues affecting PJ while striving for transparency and accountability.

As a reporter, Mak has met many PJ residents and worked with former MBPJ councillors.

“I would be able to draw from their experience. I look forward to working with the other councillors,” he said.

NEW COUNCILLORS FOR PETALING JAYA

1. Mohd Halil Haji Harun – Petaling Jaya Utara PKR deputy chief
2. Syed Abdul Malik Syed A Hamid Al Jafree – Subang PKR deputy chief
3. Thiruvenggadam Aamuthu – Petaling Jaya Selatan PKR deputy chief
4. Halimey Abu Bakar – Kelana Jaya PKR Youth chief
5. Mahharul Ismail – Petaling Jaya Selatan PKR Secretary
6. Latheefa Koya – Petaling Jaya Selatan PKR treasurer
7. Tang Fuie Koh – Petaling Jaya Utara PKR treasurer
8. Dr Melasutra Md Dali – Urban planner
9. Michael Soon Kwai Choy – DAP
10. Mak Khuin Weng – DAP
11. Robert Tan Siang Chok – DAP
12. Tiew Way Keng – DAP
13. Francis Chang – DAP
14. Ahmad Yusof Ludis – PAS
15. Ghazali Shaari – PAS
16. Kamarudin Suhaimi – PAS
17. Muzammil Hafiz – PAS
18. Chan Chee Keong – Social activist
19. Richard Yeoh – Transparency International executive director
20. Anthony Thanasayan – Representative of the disabled community
21. Cynthia Gabriel – Suaram executive director
22. Derek Fernandez – Environment activist and lawyer
*23. Ramakrishnan Suppiah
*24. Paneer Sivam
* The last two names are yet to be confirmed.

The Star - Metro

Central

Tuesday June 17, 2008

Final background checks being done on councillors
By JADE CHAN

THE new local council line-up in Selangor will see PKR having the majority in terms of party representation.

Sources said PKR members would make up the majority of councillors in 10 out of the 12 local councils.

The party representation in the Selangor councillors line-up would be as follows: PKR 28.5% (82 councillors), DAP 26.4% (76 councillors) and PAS 17.0% (49 councillors), while the remaining 28.1% (81 councillors) would comprise representatives from non-governmental organisations (NGOs), residents’ associations and professional groups.

The breakdown list, made available to StarMetro, showed the Petaling Jaya City Council, Subang Jaya Municpal Council and Ampang Jaya Municipal Council having the largest representation of non-political councillors.

Out of the 288 councillors, five would comprise those from the disabled group (orang kurang upaya or OKU).

The party representatives encompass senior division committee members who have strong leadership qualities as well as adequate experience and qualifications while those from NGO and professional groups comprise those who specialise in fields like urban planning, law, health and environment.

“None of the wakil rakyat’s assistants are on the councillors list. Nominated party members also cannot be involved in the construction business to avoid conflicts of interest,” a source said.

“On PKR’s side, we try to emphasise that each council has at least one Chinese and one Indian representative to reflect a multi-racial line-up.”

The source added that all the councillors’ performances would be reviewed after a year and those who had not performed would be replaced.

One of the reasons for the delay in announcing the new councillors line-up, the source said, was the early resignation of the previous batch of councillors.

“It was irresponsible of the Barisan Nasional side to have their councillors resign. The previous councillors should have completed their contracts and left once the new councillors were sworn in.”

Sources said final background checks are being conducted on the candidates and that the new line-up would be announced at the end of this week , during a celebration to mark the 100 days of the Pakatan Rakyat coming into power in Selangor.

It was also revealed that the mayors and presidents heading the present local councils would be retained, unless they resign, are unable to perform their jobs or if their contracts expired

Extra RM300 allowance for disabled workers

NST Online » Local News

2008/06/17

Extra RM300 allowance for disabled workers
By : Kristina George

Women, Family and Community Development Minister Datuk Dr Ng Yen Yen meeting recipients of the excellence awards.

BANGI: The government yesterday announced an increase of RM300 in the monthly allowance for disabled workers. Currently, they receive RM750 a month.

Women, Family and Community Development Minister Datuk Dr Ng Yen Yen said the move was aimed at motivating these workers further and helping them to be independent.

At a press conference after an excellence awards ceremony for agencies under her ministry, Ng said the move would further propel the disabled towards a "productive welfare era".

To deal with the rising inflation, the ministry has also proposed to increase the minimum household income for the hardcore poor from RM400 to RM700.

She hoped that more disabled people and the hardcore poor would register themselves with the Malaysian Community Welfare Department (MCWD).

Only those who are registered would be entitled to the benefits.

Presently, only 220,000 disabled and hardcore poor people have registered with the MCWD.

Ng disclosed that the government paid RM150 million last year to 150,000 people who were either disabled or hardcore poor and had registered with MCWD.

"They should register with the ministry if they do not want to miss out on the various benefits."

Ng presented excellence awards to 435 civil servants in recognition of their contributions.

The ministry's policy division assistant secretary S. Sharon Kumari, a recipient of the award, said she felt gratified in providing service to the public and helping to make a difference.

New breed of local councillors emerging

Saturday June 14, 2008

The Star - Metro

New breed of local councillors emerging
Valley ViewBy GEETHA KRISHNAN

THE current changed political scenario, especially in Selangor, has brought about a sort of grassroots political awakening involving a new perception and a holistic perspective on the role and scope of the local councils and councillors.

The Local Government Act 1976 (Act 171) Section 10 (2) states that “councillors of the local authority shall be appointed from among persons the majority of whom shall be persons ordinarily residents in the local authority area who in the opinion of the state authority have wide experience in local government affairs or who have achieved distinction in any profession, commerce or industry, or are otherwise capable of representing the interests of their communities in the local authority area”.

Section 10 (1) states that “the local authority shall consist of the mayor or president and not less than eight and not more than 24 other councillors to be appointed by the state authority”.

Section (3) stipulates that the term of office of each councillor shall not exceed three years while Section (6) states that a councillor shall be eligible for reappointment upon the expiry of his term of office.

Under previous state governments, it was a tradition of sorts for state assemblymen to be appointed as councillors.

“This was based on the understanding that assemblymen worked closely with local authorities in handling community issues and as such, maintained a better line of communication in dealings,” said a former assemblyman and councillor.

From a wider scope of things, their positions as councillors were clearly viewed as political appointments.

In the 1950s and 1960s, councillors were elected through local council elections but this came to what was supposed to be a temporary halt in 1963 due to the Indonesian Confrontation (Konfrantasi) against the formation of Malaysia.

Local council elections were eventually abolished in 1965 with an amendment to Section 15 of the Local Government Act.

Following the outcome of the 12th general election on March 8 this year, when the Barisan Nasional lost control of four states and failed to unseat the PAS state government in Kelantan, there have been calls to amend the Local Government Act to bring back local council elections.

In Selangor, the new Pakatan Rakyat state government has declared that elected
representatives would not be appointed local councillors in the two city councils (Shah Alam and Petaling Jaya) and 12 municipal councils in the state.

The Selangor state executive council, meanwhile, is going through a list of public nominees for councillors comprising professionals and representatives from the NGOs.

Under Section 28 of the Local Government Act, each local authority may, from time to time, appoint committees, either of a general or special nature, consisting of a chairman, councillors and such other persons as it may deem fit.

The new batch of councillors for the two city councils and 12 local councils in Selangor are also expected to sit in the relevant committees, rendering their expertise in areas like licensing, building, infrastructure and finance.

Each of the councillors of the previous administration used to serve in at least two to four committees.

Their selection to the committees is based on recommendations made by the state leaders of their respective political parties.

Section 28 also states that councillors shall be paid allowances determined by the local authority.

Contrary to general public perception, councillors are paid only a miserable monthly allowances ranging from RM500 to RM650. Not something to shout about!

An additional of RM50 or RM100 is paid for each attendance at the monthly full council meetings or a committee meeting.

According to a former councillor, each councillor was given an annual grant of RM10,000 to spend on projects in his or her area.

“But the amount was hardly sufficient for big projects.

“We usually organised gotong royong, talks and small community events and even had to fork out our own money for these events,” he said.

In the awarding of contracts, Section 34 (1) of the Local Government Act clearly states that any councillor with a pecuniary interest, whether direct or indirect, in any contract or proposed contract should withdraw from the meeting where the matter is under consideration.

There have been allegations from the public that the previous elected representatives strongly influenced decisions on the awarding of contracts in Selangor.

The present Pakatan Rakyat state government has recently announced that assemblymen and politically-appointed local councillors would no longer be allowed to sit on tender boards.

All that remains now is to keep our fingers crossed as the list is finalised and hope that better days are ahead for Selangor.

Selangor MB heads committee to select local councillors

Saturday June 14, 2008

The Star - Metro

Selangor MB heads committee to select local councillors

By ELAN PERUMAL

A SPECIAL high-profile committee headed by Selangor Mentri Besar Tan Sri Khalid Ibrahim has been formed to vet a list of 288 names nominated for local councillors of the 12 municipal and two city councils in the state.

The committee members include three state executive councillors – Ronnie Liu (local government and research), Datuk Hassan Mohamed Ali (Islamic affairs, Malay customs, infrastructure and public amenities) and Yaakob Sapari (agriculture, natural resources and entrepreneurial development).

“The committee is looking through the names of all those nominated to ensure that they are appointed on merit and not due to cronyism and nepotism,” Khalid said.

“There have been rumours and allegations that we are appointing our friends to the local councils and this committee is tasked with ensuring that such a scenario is not happening,” he said.

According to Khalid, the appointment of the councillors, especially those under the NGO quota, would be based only on merit and not on favouritism.

He said the committee would study carefully all individuals proposed so that only those suitable were appointed.

Khalid said the names of those recommended by the committee and endorsed by the state executive council would be announced by June 20.

Khalid said the Pakatan Rakyat state government would appoint only those who were qualified and able to perform.

He said the people expected a lot from the local councillors and those appointed should be able to perform with excellence and transparency.

“We know it used to be very rewarding under the previous state government to be appointed as local councillors in the various municipalities and city councils,” he said.

“But I can assure you that from now on, the job of a local councillor would not be a glamorous one with a lot of perks, financial gains and benefits,” he said.

Khalid said that those appointed councillors would be required to serve with dedication and sincerity.

Liu said he endorsed the mentri besar’s decision and felt that the vetting committee would enhance the merit of being appointed a local councillor.

“It is good for the government and the people,” he said.