(Petaling Jaya, Sunday): DAP Selangor is in full support for a group of 25 Residents Associations (RAs) to submit a joint memorandum to MPPJ to demand public scrutiny of its account, in order to justify the recent 10% hike on assessment rate.

25 RAs from both South and North PJ have agreed to the following five-point resolution:

1. That PJ Municipal Council (MPPJ) President Datuk Ahmad Termizi shall allow public scrutiny on MPPJ’s account within seven days of the official protest letter and to explain why he refuses to fullfil his earlier promise to allow the account for public scrutiny,
2. That they shall seek the intervention from the Federal Government and to cast no-confidence vote against the local authority,
3. That they shall submit a joint-memorandum to MPPJ,
4. That local government should be accountable, and
5. That ‘The 3^rd Vote’ shall be returned to the rakyat.

It is clearly found that the residents are outraged by the President’s attitude of giving empty promise when he earlier promised to allow the council’s account to be scrutinized by the public. The people are also not satisfied when MPPJ insists with its 10% hike on assessment fees. We believe that it is commendable, rational, legitimate and appropriate for taxpayers in PJ to act so as it will set a role model for the rest in demanding good governance and transparency.

However, Datuk Ahmad Termizi is quoted by today’s The Star as “there was no need for anyone to scrutinize its detailed account as the council had its own system and committee to vet and endorse the accounts and that was sufficient”.

Ahmad Termizi’s statement is not only questionable but also undermines taxpayers’ demands for a clean and accountable local council.

Although local council’s account and budget are to be scrutinized by councilors, they are not elected to the post. Thus the approved account and budget are not supposed to be one that is acceptable to the people. Moreover, demanding local council’s account and budget for public scrutiny shall not be a PR practice for MPPJ, it shall be an annual practice for all local councils in Malaysia.

Therefore, there is an utmost urgency for MPPJ to respond to the five-point resolution adopted by 25 RAs in PJ. As the highest government official in charge of the management and development of Petaling Jaya, Datuk Ahmad Termizi as the Council’s President shall deliver as promised and shall not resort to any flip-flop position. Else his reputation as Council’s President will be severely tarnished.

PJ taxpayers shall also be reminded that not only the Council’s President had made such promise but according to our record, Senior MPPJ Councilor Datuk Dr Wong Sai Hou, who is also the State Assemblyman for Kampung Tunku, has also made similar promise as reported in The Star Metro dated 27^th January 2006.

He was quoted as saying:

“The state government had already approved the assessment increase and residents were obligated to pay as the increase was done in accordance with the Local Government Act.”

“However, because certain quarters are unhappy with the decision, the council is willing to open its accounts for scrutiny to representatives from RAs and RTs if they so wish.”

“MPPJ was taking this stance because it did not want to go to war with the residents through the newspapers.”

With this, Datuk Dr Wong Sai Hou shall also be held accountable, if he were “to avoid going to war with the residents through newspaper”. 

DAP Selangor also urges MPPJ to also post its budget and detailed accounts on its websites to facilitate quick and easy scrutiny for taxpayers. We do not agree with Council Account Department Director Lulu Goh’s statement that taxpayers can always buy a copy of Government Gazette (a government publication) to access the Council’s accounts.

Huge sum money are spent to upgrade the Council’s website and there is no reason why taxpayers cannot access to crucial information related to the council, as the website shall function to enhance the virtual interactions between the council and the taxpayers. Asking taxpayers to instead buy a copy of the government gazette is rather mind-boggling.