DBKL reform is a central part of my agenda for Setiawangsa.
The Selamatkan KL NGO has voiced out the need to gazette the KL 2020 City Plan and I am in full support of this in order to mitigate the problem of lack of greenery and planning in Kuala Lumpur. Pakatan Harapan legislators have been in full support of the effort.
Bukit Dinding and Taman Tiara Titiwangsa, both of which are within the Setiawangsa parliamentary constituency are areas that have been impacted by the issue, as there is excessive development. Often, the interests of developers are prioritised at the expense of the residents.
This has led to local residents voicing out and demanding change. Relative to other states, the problem in the Federal Territory is more profound as there is a democratic deficit. In the Federal Territory, the rakyat do not have the right to vote for a local elected authority.
In fact, the majority of Kuala Lumpur has voted for change since 2008. However, because there is no local elected authority, the people of Kuala Lumpur do not have the privilege of enjoying policy changes like the people in neighbouring Selangor.
Looking at other examples, Canberra is administered through the Australian Capital Territory. Washington DC is administered by the District of Columbia. London is administered by the Greater London Authority. Jakarta is at par with other provinces in Indonesia. Each of these cities have elections to choose their administrators, not just send legislators at the national level.
It is pitiful that the wellbeing of the people in Kuala Lumpur is not being prioritised. I will certainly champion DBKL reform in line with Pakatan Harapan’s aspirations to provide better living standards and greater transparency in governance.
