|
By Goh Ban Lee.
AS the year is coming to an end, it is useful to look back and highlight what has taken place and what has been ignored in areas related to housing and urban governance.
During the year, bringing back the third vote attracted considerable attention when the Penang state government wrote a letter to the Election Commission (EC) in March requesting it to conduct elections for the two local councils. The request was rejected. According to the EC, there were no provisions for elections in the Local Government Act of 1976.
Nevertheless, the request and rejection did generate considerable discussions. While many, including prominent lawyers, argued that elections could be held under the law, it is clear that these will not happen soon since the EC is the only competent body to conduct elections. Malaysians will have to live with the present system until there is a change of federal government. Even then, nothing is certain as PAS has not shown enthusiasm in bringing back local government elections.
The year also saw the sacking of Klang municipal councillor Tee Boon Hock, who had been found to have failed to declare that he was endorsing a company where his son was a director. He was also sacked from the DAP. However, Tee claimed that he was used as a scapegoat and is innocent.
State governments tend to refrain from terminating the tenure of councillors in mid-term to avoid controversies, thereby giving the impression that there is no accountability. Seen in this perspective, the Selangor government should be commended for taking such a drastic action.
The episode also resulted in the DAP declaring that it would henceforth take action against any party member elected to public office who issues support letters for business purposes. All political parties should follow this practice.
The year also saw a rapid increase in house prices, especially in the Klang Valley and Penang Island, although there was already evidence in 2009. Bank Negara has taken a small step to curb speculative purchases by imposing a 70% loan limit for those buying their third house. Whether this is adequate is still a question mark. However, it is useful to note that voices of a housing bubble are beginning to be heard.
Besides the growing affordability gap, 2010 also saw more and more gated communities being built. It is hoped that those responsible will quickly realise that they are building a built environment that has too many gates, walls and fences that are not conducive for the development of livable cities .
In the middle of the year, Datuk Chor Chee Heung took over from Datuk Seri Kong Cho Ha as the housing and local government minister. As it was a change of person and not government, there is no likelihood of a major change in policy, like bringing back local government elections. However, hopefully, a change in person will lead to significant changes for the better in urban governance.
An important agenda in urban governance that has been neglected is non-compliance with municipal rules. A large part of the problem is the Third World mentality syndrome, a term seldom heard off since Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi stepped down as prime minister. Unfortunately, this problem is compounded by the lack of attention by the local authorities on compliance with municipal rules and standards, including gazetted plans and building by-laws.
A serious review of urban governance, with special attention to rules and standards and the question of non-compliance, is long overdue.
There has also been no progress in solid waste management (SWM) and public cleansing. Despite the enactment of the Solid Waste and Public Cleansing Management Act and the Solid Waste and Public Cleansing Management Corporation Act in 2007 and the setting up of a commission, a corporation and a national department, another year is about to go by without significant improvement in the cleanliness of towns and cities or the management of solid waste and public cleansing.
There is an urgent need to improve the effectiveness and efficiency of the local authorities. The vision of becoming a developed nation with the quality of life similar to that enjoyed by the ratepayers and visitors of Vienna, Vancouver, Adelaide or Singapore will not happen without improving the delivery system of the local authorities.
A Happy 2011.
Republished with permission. This article first appeared in the Dec 21, 2010 issue of theSun. Datuk Dr Goh Ban Lee is a senior research fellow at Seri and interested in urban governance, housing and urban planning.
 |
Show/Hide comments
Show/Hide comment form
