No real danger of racial strife, says DAP
Published on: Wednesday, December 12, 2018
Kuala Lumpur: There is no danger of racial clashes if Malaysia decides to bring back the "third vote" or local government elections instead of having government appointees, DAP MP Ramkarpal Singh (pic) said. Ramkarpal said this was because Malaysians under 'Malaysia Baru' would be selecting local councillors based on their abilities and not their race."The reservation expressed by Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad that local elections ought not to be held as they may lead to racial conflict and widen the urban-rural divide is, with respect, misplaced as there can be no danger of that in today's Malaysia and furthermore, is a mere assumption in his part," the Bukit Gelugor MP who is also DAP's national legal bureau told the Malay Mail.ADVERTISEMENT Ramkarpal said that Malaysians will be able to choose their own local councillors based on information on whether the candidates have proven themselves."The question of his/her race in the selection process cannot be a consideration, as if it was, then all elections, whether for MPs or Aduns, would be, similarly, racial."Such a mindset ought not to be considered any longer in our new Malaysia as the merits and capabilities of a particular candidate ought to be the priority in the selection of local councillors," he added.Ramkarpal said the current system of appointing local councillors raises the obvious criticism of potential abuse by the government in "selecting their own people to further their own agenda".ADVERTISEMENT "I cannot see anything wrong in reintroducing local council elections as it was a part of our system in the past," he said of the third vote which was discontinued by the government in the 1960s."It is hoped that the Federal government seriously reconsiders its position on this as ultimately, the people should be given the right to elect those who they want as councillors, the same way they elected their MPs and ADUNs, and it cannot be assumed that they would elect those councillors based on race which may lead to conflict," he added.
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Polls reform watchdog Bersih 2.0 today argued that Dr Mahathir's worries of potential racial conflicts if Malaysia restores local government elections was "speculative", noting that Malaysians have managed to have peaceful transitions of power in elections as well as peaceful rallies."In fact, we have not experienced any racial conflict following changes of state governments since 2008, change of federal government in 2018 as well as during Bersih and Anti-ICERD rallies. The PH government should give due recognition to Malaysians, who are rational and non-violence oriented," it said in a statement. Bersih 2.0 also argued that it was "untrue" that non-Malays would be dominating local government elections, pointing out that the population in urban areas has changed significantly since the 1960s."For example, according to the 2010 census data, the Malay population in Kuala Lumpur, stood at 49.5 per cent, outnumbering the population of Chinese, which was 43.2 per cent."There is also no question as well that most of the local governments in the rural areas of the Peninsular would be represented by Malays in majority if elections are held," it added.Bersih 2.0 also said that any concerns of communal strife could easily be addressed by using other types of electoral systems such as proportional representation systems, which would ensure "fair representation" of all communities in local councils.Bersih 2.0 said bringing back local council elections could even "unite" Malaysia's different ethnic groups over common concerns on local issues that affect their daily lives and transform how local councils are being managed.Bersih 2.0 contrasted the third vote with the current situation where ruling political parties appoint local councillors, claiming that many are unqualified and not accountable to the local community that they are supposed to serve and that it allows for potential corruption."Furthermore, such political appointments reinforce and perpetuate a culture of patronage that breeds corruption and abuses of power throughout the country."This is a legacy left behind by the previous government and the new Pakatan Harapan government should seize the opportunity to break free from such corrupt culture," Bersih 2.0 said.Highlighting that taxpayers have the right to have a say in the management of their local councils through the third vote, Bersih 2.0 also urged the prime minister to keep an open mind on the matter and allow discussions and debates among stakeholders to find the best solution.Mayors are also currently appointed by the government.Stay up-to-date by following Daily Express’s Telegram channel.
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Local council elections were once held between 1951 and 1965, but were suspended almost 50 years ago in 1965 because of the Indonesian Confrontation.The then-prime minister Tunku Abdul Rahman had promised the Dewan Rakyat that local government elections would be restored once the Confrontation was over, but this did not happen despite the end of Confrontation in 1966.