PETALING JAYA: The biggest beneficiaries of local elections will be Umno followed by PAS, Bangi MP Dr Ong Kian Ming said today.
Umno lost power in seven states it used to control before the 14th General Election (GE14) — Kedah, Terengganu, Perak, Negri Sembilan, Malacca, Johor and Sabah apart from Wilayah Persekutuan.
The once-dominant party now finds itself on the receiving end of having MPs and state assemblymen in these states but having no formal access to the local governments in these states, Ong said.
“Having local elections would allow Umno and PAS to gain representation at the local government level and give them greater access to local government positions and policies,” he said in a statement today.
“Given the recent discussion on local elections, I am republishing a statement I made in 2015 on this very issue. I still very much stand by this statement and as stated by other DAP leaders, the restoration of local elections is very much an agenda which our party continues to advocate for.
“I would like to highlight one particular paragraph in my 2015 statement:
“The large migration of Malays from the rural to the urban areas have made areas like Kuala Lumpur very different from today from what it was in 1969. According to the 2010 census data, the Malay population in Wilayah Persekutuan KL (45.9%) outnumber the Chinese population (43.2%).
“In fact, out of the 3 city halls, 9 city councils and 37 municipal councils in Malaysia, only six have populations where the Chinese outnumber the Malays – Ipoh, Kuching Selatan, Johor Baru Tengah, Pulau Pinang, Sibu and Subang Jaya.
“In other words, 88% of these large urban areas have a plurality, and in most cases a majority, of Malay residents. Even in a place like Petaling Jaya, the Malay population (46.2%) outnumber the Chinese population (39.6%).
“While I do not have updated population statistics by local authority, the latest 2017 population projects shows that the Bumiputera population in Wilayah Persekutuan is now 47% compared to 42% Chinese and 10% Indian. In Penang, 46% of the population comprises of bumiputeras compared to 44% Chinese and 10% Indians.
“The notion that having local elections will lead to a racial strife is not reflected in the latest demographic figures and also of the growing political maturity in our country.”
Ong said he is heartened that the Minister for Housing and Local Government, Zuraida Kamaruddin, will be studying different models for local elections which will be more suitable for Malaysia’s context.
I am sure that many local election experts, in Malaysia and from other countries, will be more than willing to present their proposals to her Ministry for closer study, he added.
