Saturday, January 31, 2009

Have the activist betrayed the people in their silence...?

We are still waiting for the promised Local Council Elections...

We are also waiting for the elections of Penghulus, Kampung/Kampung Baru/Taman/Perkampungan Orang Asli heads & committees. This, at least, could be the 1st thing that could be done in all Pakatan Rakyat states. (After all, under the UMNO len BN government, cronnies were generally appointed into all the JKKKK, JKKKT, etc... we do not even know how they get chosen - but these people generally is accepted by the government of the day as the voice of the people in particular areas...Oh yes, that is why the rest of the people (the 'penduduk') are really never even consulted - because after all their government-appointed so-called reps have been, and have agreed to everything - and sometime are 'rewarded' as well...)

Democracy - we want greater democracy.

For the level of the Kampung/Kampung Baru/ Taman, etc...there should be:-

a) Local Council monitored elections once every 3 years...

b) All heads & committee of Kampung/Kampung Baru/ Taman, etc..shall be required to hold an Annual General Meeting once every year - in which Reports of Activities Past, Plans for the Future & Financial Accounts must be presented and approved.

c) All heads & committee of Kampung/Kampung Baru/ Taman, etc..shall be required to have regular meetings - i.e. at least once a month, whereby minutes must be recorded, and shall be made available for the scrutiny of any resident from the community.

d) Residents shall have the power to call for Emergency General Meetings - provided that 25 or 25%, whichever lesser, calls for a meeting.

e) Every resident ages 18 and above shall have the right to vote...

Now, PERAK has started this....and the latest good move have been done by Chang Lih Kang...and here, I attach a posting by Josh Hong

We must restore local government elections for the sake of democracy, good governance, rule of law, accountability and transparency. – Lim Guan Eng, speaking to Perak DAP leaders in February 2005.

It was an auspicious start to 2009, when residents of Gunung Rapat New Village, Perak, went to the ballot box to elect their ideal candidate for the post of village chief. The small yet hugely significant election, proposed and sponsored by PKR state assemblymen Chang Lih Kang and Chan Ming Kai, indicates that the true spirit of democracy is still alive despite the controversy that the move had generated among some Pakatan Rakyat lawmakers.- Malaysiakini, 30/1/2009 - Where's My Third Vote?


What are you waiting for Pakatan Rakyat? Next General Elections?

No - do it now. Once the people experience democracy at work at the local community, it becomes more difficult for it to be taken away by future governments (especially if the UMNO-led BN takes back the states that are now under PR..). Delay in implementing what you preached you would do before GE2008 would just be a betrayal of the people ...and a lost opportunity for reforms.

It saddens me that many of my civil society friends are no longer shouting as hard as before for local council elections, and other local level elections....Have the 'smart' Pakatan Rakyat managed to silence these calls for greater experience of democracy by the appointing of many of the leaders and most vocal activists as Local Council members. Their silence is very disturbing ...

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