YOURSAY ‘Let us have local councils whose members are elected.’

Local polls means better accountability

SteveOh : Local polls are not the panacea for sub-standard local governance, but they improve democracy - which engenders public accountability and provides opportunities for community -minded citizens to participate in the decision-making process affecting their communities - from their election into office in local government.

Local elections are a vital part of the democratic process, and you can't have democracy without them at the third and local tier of a country's governance.

The idea that local elections will trigger a repeat of May 13 is not only absurd, but shocking. I can't believe anyone can even think of such a thing, and without an iota of evidence.

Instead, Serdang MP Ong Kian Ming has painstakingly given us the relevant data for an intelligent debate, and that's the sort of intelligent leadership we expect of Pakatan leaders.

David Dass : This article clarifies many things. Clearly, the race issue is not one of the problems. We have local councillors, but the councillors are appointed and not elected. The only way we are going to make them accountable to the people who live in the area, is to elect them.

We must be able to think beyond race if we are to become a developed nation. Social and economic justice and the rule of law should be our watchwords. No one - whatever his or her race - should be denied the opportunity.

There should be no place in our society for anyone who believes that their race entitles them to more than someone of another race. And the government - at whatever level - should be alert for injustice and inequality, wherever it may lie.

We deserve roads without potholes, drains that move water, pavements that are not collapsing, rubbish that is collected regularly, roads and side lanes that are not choking with traffic because of the construction of high-rise buildings with no thought of parking and traffic dispersal, parks and playing fields, markets, schools, places of worship, sports complexes, swimming pools, public libraries and community centres.

Let us have local councils whose members are elected. People will not kill people if we have better governance for all.

Jiminy Qrikert : That PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang is against local polls is not surprising, as he of all people knows very well that PAS candidates will stand very slim chances of being elected given their really, really low level of competence as evidenced by the failure of PAS administrators in Kedah and Terengganu.

Across the board, the rakyat would rather elect Umno-BN than PAS candidates, even in these Malay heartland states - what more in the urban, far more progressive states. So, PAS will most likely be a big fat flop at local polls - especially up against the far more competent PKR and DAP representatives.

But to claim that local polls will lead to race riots and a repeat of May13 shows just how desperate Hadi is, to dismiss reality and resort to scare tactics instead of clear, intelligent logical discourse.

After this bout of nonsense from Hadi, PAS is confirmed as a party with pretty stupid people - except for a handful of castrated Erdogans.

Anonymous_1419577444 : Malaysians would expect all our MPs and state representatives to be able to put up sensible cases like what Kian Ming does.

Perhaps Hadi can issue a sensible rebuttal to this? Surely, an esteemed leader like Hadi can enlighten 30 million ignorant Malaysians and bring everyone to the right path.

If his 'royal' protocol dictates that he should not reply to ‘lowlifes’ like Kian Ming, then he can use his most junior lieutenant's name to reply. Malaysians do not mind because we are all ordinary humans when we shed our titles and powers.

Datuk Iskandar Shah : At this point, Persatuan Ummah Sejahtera Malaysia (PasMa) must come in strongly and build a moderate society. We do not want a society built on racism. We do not want a pro-Chinese or pro-Malay society. We want a pro-Malaysian society built on justice and genuine equality.

The Chinese, too, had been the worst racists at one time, although they have mellowed over the years. The only way to refine our society is to get rid of Chinese, Tamil and religious schools and instead create English schools with Chinese, Tamil and Bahasa Malaysia as compulsory subjects like before, so that our society will blend and each race will then show respect to one another.

However, I am aware that this is vain thinking as Umno and pro-Chinese groups will not want this. It will be just a dream.

Factnot Fiction : We are all convinced by clear logic like what Kian Ming has presented to us. But alas, donkeys have their own logic. 

Rick Teo : It’s always the same reason given for not implementing certain policies. They just have the fear that non-Malays will dominate the local councils because based on meritocracy, the non- Malays will win hands down.

The non-Malays have survived for 57 years with all the discriminatory policies, and have become stronger in the goal of achieving excellence. That is why Umno is fearful of local council elections.

ByebyeBN : Hadi, like his friends in Umno, are ‘kampung politicians’. Small minds cannot understand democracy.

Rahman shows utter contempt for democracy

Biggest threat to racial polarisation is, yes, Umno

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