COMMS Strategist & Gap Analysis expert Ravindran Raman Kutty has urged the new government to ensure that there is fairness in the appointment of mayors for local authorities in a bid to eliminate corrupt practises and alleviate the burden on the public.
Ravindran, writing for Sinchew’s English news site, added that the government must also conduct due diligence before appointing undeserving Pegawai Tadbir dan Diplomatik (PTD) or Diplomatic Administrative Officer (DAO).
“The new government must scrutinise and ensure that there is fairness in the appointment of mayors and directors rather than offering the positions or seats to undeserving PTD.
“The promotion exercise must be seriously looked into based on their characters, experiences, and qualifications. If the government pays more and immediate attention to the third estate and brings out greater justice, and fairness and inculcates higher jurisprudence, the local authorities will certainly do a greater job in sustainable building and engineering greater projects, a sustainable environment, and a greater nation,” he said.
He said the third estate of any government is the local authorities (LA). The LA is the face of the government, dealing with the day-to-day and bread-and-butter issues of our rakyat.
“They need the best and right people to carry out their tasks and duties in a professional manner. The issuing of licenses for advertisements, sale of liquors and running of businesses; the management of hawker stalls and proper waste disposal; the maintenance of playgrounds and bus stops, street lamps and traffic lights, drain issues and grass cutting – these are just a few of the many issues related to the rakyat that are directly under the care and control of the LA and/or town councils.
“The overseeing of these sectors rests on the level of dedication and responsibility of the LA, and this can only be determined based on the performance of the LA team and the feedback of satisfaction from the rakyat,” he said.
As such, one greatly pressing issue today involving the rakyat is the massive construction being carried out concerning the LRT, MRT, and several new highways.
The construction has caused and is still causing tremendous inconveniences to everyone: traffic congestion, noise and air pollution, uncontrolled possibilities of floods, danger to the ecosystem, tarnish to our surroundings, and many more unpleasant accidents throughout the nation.
According to him, a good mayor and the team backing the mayor must be aware of these problems and find quick solutions.
“A good mayor and his/her team must be aware of these problems, act fast and handle all issues, and manage their respective states and communities. Look for options or solutions to lessen the rakyat’s burdens; the mayor is chosen for the people, so the mayor must care for the interest of his/her people and not the interest in his/her pockets or personal gains of any kind.”
Hence, he strongly recommends a commission be formed to look at the woes of the LA and achieve greater transparency in delivering their duties.
“I strongly recommend a commission to be formed with the main onus to look into the woes of the LA to provide greater transparency and confidence to these drained and victimised civil servants.
“Internal promotions must be given to allow greater continuity and sustainability of the activities and programs carried out by the LA. No one must ignore the importance of the LA as they make or break a nation,” Ravindran wrote. — Jan 8, 2023
