KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 30 — Speculation is rife that Kuala Lumpur will get a new mayor.
Talk is that the current Datuk Bandar, Tan Sri Mhd Amin Nordin Abd Aziz, will retire early, at the end of next month.
Mhd Amin Nordin, 63, was supposed to have retired on July 18 last year but his service was extended on contract for two years up to July 2019.
According to sources, he has been advised to end his contract and retire next month after the Pakatan Harapan government expressed the desire to have him replaced.
However, when contacted, Mhd Amin Nordin would only say: “You will find out soon, wait and see”.
Mhd Amin Nordin, Kuala Lumpur’s 11th mayor, has 38 years of experience in local government administration and city management, especially at Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL).
He began his career as the deputy director in the Landscape Department of DBKL in 1978, at the age of 22.
He also served under 10 KL mayors, including as the special officer of the late Tan Sri Elyas Omar for four years.
So far, the names of five people have been mentioned as the next and 12th mayor Kuala Lumpur.
One of them is the former president of the Subang Jaya Municipal Council (MPSJ), Datuk Nor Hisham Ahmad Dahlan.
Prior to his retirement in May last year, Nor Hisham held the post of MPSJ president for two years from 2014, after which his contract was extended by another year.
He has 37 years of experience in various federal and state agencies, including the Gombak Land and District Office, the Economic Planning Unit in the Prime Minister’s Department, the Ministry of Federal Territories and the Selangor State Secretariat Office.
Cheras MP Tan Kok Wai, a former member of the DBKL board of directors, when asked to comment on the matter, did not deny or confirm the appointment of a new mayor for the city.
He said that of late, the mayor had not been seen at several DBKL meetings and events. He was represented by his executive directors.
“I heard that he had been advised to retire early but I am not sure as DBKL has not issued an official statement.
“However, for the sake of the city’s development, the mayor must be replaced with a person who is compatible with the federal territories minister, and must not be a “yes man” to the minister,” Tan said.
He said the post of mayor was a “hot seat” as the person had to bear the responsibility and challenge of managing the city’s growth.
“The mayor must not only be a person with integrity who can perform his duties, but must also be prepared to listen to the people at all levels while being the top-most authority in making decisions (concerning KL),” he said.
“Previously, the mayor was seen as a “yes man” to the Federal Territories Ministry because he could not make his own decisions and all projects and development plans in the city were approved by the minister.
“However, all decisions on the appointment of the Kuala Lumpur mayor are made by the prime minister with the consent of the Yang di-Pertuan Agong,” Tan said. — Bernama
