KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 15 — The Housing and Local Government Ministry is preparing a proposal for a commission to oversee local governments in a bid to improve services, including tackling corruption among its officers.
Its minister Zuraida Kamaruddin said this morning that a body to govern city councils could solve the widespread graft plaguing local governments, a problem that has come under the spotlight recently following the arrest of several Shah Alam City Council officers alleged to be behind a protection racket in Sungai Buloh, Selangor.
“We are now looking into setting up a commission to oversee local governance and with that maybe we can curb corruption,” the Ampang MP told reporters after launching her ministry’s community garden pilot project at the Lembah Subang PPR flats here.
“Perhaps by consistently rotating officers between different councils,” she added.
The body may not necessarily be in the form of a commission, Zuraida stressed, but said federal oversight is crucial for local governance improvement.
The proposal, jointly planned with governments at the state level, has yet to undergo Cabinet deliberation although the minister suggested that her colleagues are likely to approve.
Anti-corruption authorities recently held a sting operation that led to the arrest of several local council officers suspected of soliciting bribes to protect illegal traders.
All are currently being held for investigation and are expected to be charged soon.
The arrests sparked public uproar and renewed scrutiny of local governance long dogged by allegations of corruption.
