My Miscellaneous Page

PETALING JAYA (The Sun, Nov 2, 2006): Gerakan has abandoned the practice of nominating its elected representatives to sit in local councils from this year on.

And the MCA is expected to do so as well, if all Barisan Nasional component parties agree to this.

Although both parties have not linked their decision to the raging controversy over Port Klang assemblyman Datuk Zakaria Mat Deros’s position as Klang Municipal Councillor, it is learnt they find it timely to make a stand on this now.

Such a decision would fall in line with the principle of separation of powers between the second and third tiers of the government.

Gerakan president Datuk Seri Dr Lim Keng Yaik said the elected Gerakan representatives had served their last terms as local councillors.

"I made the decision long time ago. The term for elected representatives had finished, so there will be no more. That is my party’s stance," he told reporters when asked to comment on whether it was true that Barisan Nasional component parties had agreed that no elected representatives would be chosen as local councillors in future.

Lim said if one has been elected state assemblyman, there is no need for him to sit in a local council.

He said it is better to choose somebody else to be a councillor, who could then be moulded into a potential state assemblyman.

"Most of our assemblymen in Penang had served as councillors. If they are lazy to work, cocky and had done anything wrong, we will make sure that he would not become an assemblyman."

MCA president Datuk Seri Ong Ka Ting reportedly said in a vernacular newspaper that if BN component parties agreed to order their elected representatives to resign as councillors, the party would support it.

He said the party hoped this would happen.

Sources said Ong had in fact mooted this move for Selangor a year ago, but no decision was taken then.

Selangor MCA publicity bureau chief Lee Wei Kiat said the party has 10 state assemblymen in Selangor who are sitting in local councils. No other state has such an arrangement.

They are Datuk Ei Kim Hock, Datuk Liew Yuen Keong, Datuk Hoh Hee Lee, Datuk Lee Hwa Beng, Datuk Liew Chee Khong, Datuk Dr Wong Sai Hou, Datuk Lim Choon Kin, Datuk Teh Kim Poo, Kow Cheong Wei and Low Lee Leng.

Lee said it has been a convention for the party and Umno Selangor’s elected representatives to sit as councillors since former Mentri Besar Tan Sri Muhammad Muhammad Taib’s administration.

MCA secretary-general Datuk Ong Ka Chuan said because Selangor Umno recommends its elected representatives as councillors, MCA followed suit to ensure fairness in policy making.

He said the party will let the Selangor MCA liaison committee - chaired by Ka Ting - decide whether it wants to continue with this practice, adding that an announcement can be expected soon.

It is felt that allowing elected representatives to sit as local councillors would lead to a conflict of interest situation.