KUALA LUMPUR, June 21 ― Two DAP MPs pushed for the swift reinstatement of local government elections to put a stop to the culture of support letters among local administrative bodies, saying it facilitates corruption.

Bukit Bintang MP Fong Kui Lun said he has always supported the stance of Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL) as an executive body be made more transparent and accountable in its decision-making process.

"It must be made clear again that the mayor accountable to the constituents of KL must be an elected and not appointed as practised in all major cities in developed countries worldwide such as Taipei, London and New York,” he said after lodging a report with the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission at Jalan Cochrane here today.

Fong's report follows the recent power abuse and malpractice controversy over DBKL's award of Ramadan bazaar trade licences in the Masjid India shopping district.

Fong, who is also national DAP treasurer, also lodged a police report over the controversy at the Dang Wangi police headquarters yesterday.

Cheras MP Tan Kok Wai said the culture of support letter was a by-product of the previous Barisan Nasional ruling.

"Never have I seen an officer from DBKL being so proactive in taking the initiative to request the an elected representative to issue a support letter.

"Throughout our experience as KL MPs all these years, this is the first time we were instructed by them to do so,” he said refering to Fong.

However Tan said the culture of support letter will persist until the civil service can be revamped into a people friendly, transparent, efficient and trustworthy entities that serve the needs of the public.

"Very often these departments head showed lackadaisical attitude towards handling peoples' problem and the existing bureaucracy deters many genuine applicants from getting social welfare aid.

"As MPs, we issue hundreds of support letter everyday to the public especially those from low socioeconomic backgrounds, in need of financial assistance to secure such aids from the local authorities more easily,” he said.

Tan cited several examples of issues he has been writing on behalf of his constituents to obtain the necessary response from DBKL, such as pothole issues, structural defects of public amenities, the cutting overgrown trees and upgrades of public facilities.

"Very often we fail to get the desired responses and we have to write repeated reminders to the various departments.

"This is a serious problem and that is why we are serious in restoring local government elections to have a responsive, responsible and proactive administration genuine to the public's need,” he said.

Both Fong and Tan said support letters will not even be necessary if the relevant departments were committed to their decision-making in every applications processed, citing the recent Ramadan bazaar controversy.

"Several aspects such as hygiene, health and traffic safety have to be taken into consideration by DBKL in the allocation of these 80 bazaar lots with or without a support letter at all.

"Is Fong's support letter so powerful than the mayor himself that its submission would immediately guarantee the successful approval of the bazaar lots?” Tan quipped.

Both MPs also hoped that the MACC and police would continue to pursue the allegations to bring the truth to light.