Editorial: Foxes in the chicken coop
New Straits Times (Columns)
05 Nov 2006

THE many questions that have arisen from the Datuk Zakaria Mat Deros affair appear to be converging into just one: Should state assemblymen be allowed to double up as local councillors?

Yes, say the advocates, because elected representatives can "better serve the people" and are more accountable to voters.

No, say the rest, because concentrations of power tend to corrupt and to negate the checks and balances that keep public officials honest. The construction of Zakaria’s "istana" without planning permission, together with the combined Port Klang state assemblyman and (former) Klang municipal councillor’s other transgressions, add up to an open-and-shut case against individuals having their fingers in too many plum pies.

Nevertheless, the argument seems poised enough between its two poles for the government to conduct a study before proceeding further. Whatever the outcome, there can be no doubt that the ills besetting the local authorities begin with the way councillors are chosen. It may be protested that a few "bad apples" do not disprove the belief among politicians holding elected office that they can still juggle jobs without conflicts of interest. But poor local services, if not the self-serving aims of the politicians themselves, stretch the credibility of that contention. At minimum, the government should examine the patronage-riddled selection process and come up with a better method of getting the right people into the local councils. Politicians need not be disqualified, but their numbers ought to be leavened by professionals and community leaders.

If the appointment of councillors is so rotten, then why not have local elections? Putting councils to the ballot may not be the magic bullet, however, particularly when local authorities depend on federal grants and the most that can be looked forward to is the prospect of substituting one bunch of politicians for another. In Britain, where local government functions are being increasingly taken over by the civil servants in Whitehall, voter turnout has declined steadily. The choice facing our decision-makers is between enlarging the remit of the Ministry of Housing and Local Government and mandating higher standards for the states in running their municipalities. If the government continues to muddle on, the chorus for local elections, in default of other options, is certain to grow louder.