KUALA LUMPUR, May 26 — Local council elections can be expected within the next three years, said Housing and Local Government Minister Zuraida Kamaruddin.
In a report by Berita Harian today, Zuraida was quoted as saying several issues had to first be addressed to determine the best implementation mechanism for local council elections to run smoothly.
“We need to stabilise the country’s economy first because I don’t want to increase burdens,” she said.
“If the ministry can reduce the cost required for this and has the budget to do so, we will execute it promptly.”
She added that implementation of the local council elections, which falls under the purview of her ministry, could instead be done in stages starting with Selangor and Penang if there was a budget constraint.
Prior to the May 9 polling day that saw a landslide victory for the newly-minted Pakatan Harapan (PH) administration, they had pledged to push for local council elections as part of their first 100-days manifesto.
In 1963, Malaysia saw the last of its local council elections with the enactment of the 1976 Local Government Act.
PH leaders such as Kepong MP Lim Lip Eng and Petaling Jaya’s Maria Chin Abdullah are some who have avidly campaigned for the reinstatement of local elections.
