COMMENT | The last time councillors stood their ground and defied an unpalatable ruling, several ended up in the doghouse - wrongly accused of “lawan towkay” (fighting the boss).

In March 2023, 19 of 24 Petaling Jaya City Council (MBPJ) councillors walked out of a full board meeting after clashing with then-mayor Azhan Amir over a development project. 

The mayor wrongly insisted that councillors had no decision-making role in One-Stop Centre (OSC) matters. 

The councillors staged the walkout to protect the council’s interests and uphold due process, particularly regarding plot-ratio guidelines and a developer’s pending appeal. 

They saw the mayor’s haste as an attempt to sideline their oversight responsibilities.

Selangor Menteri Besar Amirudin Shari later reduced the whole episode to