Cenbet: M’sia ready for local council elections now

PETALING JAYA (June 11): Malaysians are ready for local council elections now after experiencing a peaceful transfer of power following the 14^th general elections, said the Centre for A Better Tomorrow (Cenbet) co-president Gan Ping Sieu.

The public is now more mature and more ready for local council elections, he said in a Malaysiakini report.

"Of course there will be fringe groups and radical groups within our people, but the bulk of people are ready for such changes.

"I won't be surprised if we were to do a survey, I think the public will demand it (to happen) tomorrow," he said.

The 14^th general elections saw the Pakatan Harapan coalition

He added that the return of the third vote to the people through local council elections was needed, according to the findings of a survey the centre had carried out in February.

In the survey, 79% of 1,000 respondents polled across the country said municipal councils had to be independent, and only 38% of the respondents felt that local governments were trustworthy.

According to him, mayoral and local council presidential elections can initially held for city halls, city councils and municipal councils.

However, the limited income of district councils may limit the possibility of local elections, he said.

Housing and Local Government Minister Zuraida Kamaruddin had earlier promised to hold elections for city mayors and local council presidents, foreseeing that they could happen within the next three years.