Selangor state reps still want to be councillors
Malaysiakini
Nov  4, 2006

The Selangor Backbenchers Club has rejected a proposal calling for politicians to be prevented from being appointed as councillors of local authorities.

Its chairperson Ahmad Bahari Abdul Rahman said that it was still necessary to have politicians as councillors as they were closer to the people and better able to understand their needs, a Bernama report said today.

He said that although there had been instances of abuse of power by some, these were only isolated cases.

"So just because of a few rotten apples, don't penalise the whole bunch. Let's not get emotional about it just because a few were found to be untrustworthy," he told reporters of the club in Sah Alam yesterday.

Over the past few weeks, three Umno state assembly reps in Klang who are also councillors in the Klang Municipal Council came under close scrutiny for their less than honourable activities in building their residencies without submitting building plans.

Abuse of power

This was considered a blatant abuse of power on their part and they had apologised since for their mistakes.

In the light of the controversy, Gerakan president Dr Lim Keng Yaik announced Thursday that the party will no longer allow its elected representatives to be appointed councillors in local authorities.

"If you are already an elected rep, why do you have to sit as a councillor? You might as well give a chance to someone else, so I can use a councillor to be prepared as a potential state assembly rep," he had said.

Meanwhile, Ahmad Bahari is also the Templer's Park state rep and a Selayang Municipal Council councillor, said that the club’s resolution on the matter would be handed to Selangor Menteri Besar Dr Mohamad Khir Toyo.