KUALA LUMPUR, June 7 — The Save Kuala Lumpur Coalition (SKL) has urged MPs to expedite their work on gazetting the KL City Plan 2020.

Its vice-chairman Datuk M. Ali clarified that this is to ensure the city’s future developments will be structured, manageable and include input from an area’s local community.

“Now that there has been a change in government and the MPs have pledged to work to democratise the way things are run within the city, we hope that they can gazette the plan within six to eight months,” he said during a town hall meeting with five KL parliamentarians.

Despite concerns raised by the MPs in attendance that they will need more time to realise the plan’s gazettement, Ali said he is confident that it can be done within the timeframe.

Present at the meeting were five MPs— Fong Kui Lun (Bukit Bintang), Hannah Yeoh (Segambut), Lim Lip Eng (Kepong), Fahmi Fadzil (Lembah Pantai) and Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad (Setiawangsa) — and one representative from Bandar Tun Razak.

Among the other issues raised during the meeting included why local council elections will take up to three years before they can be conducted, which was answered by Kepong MP Lim Lip Eng.

“There are certain factors that need to be taken into account, such as the current financial situation that the country is in, and which electoral roll is qualified to vote,” he said.

Lim explained this included considering whether to adopt electoral rolls from the Election Commission or the city’s rate payers, which includes those who work and study in the city.

Segambut MP Hannah Yeoh said she had always voiced her support for local council elections.

“Having local council elections is to the benefit of MPs as well. This is because if residents have any issues dealing with City Hall, they can refer to their elected councillors.

“Currently, what we are facing now is 80 to 90 per cent of our workload is dealing with complaints about City Hall directly, which diminishes our effectiveness in focusing on relevant issues such as healthcare and education,” she said.

Lastly, to ensure constant communication between the coalition and MPs, Lembah Pantai’s Fahmi Fadzil proposed a working committee among KL residents, the MPs and professionals to find clear solutions to gazetting the draft plan and conducting local elections.