LOCAL council elections can be implemented but not in the near future, as more awareness campaigns about the matter must first be carried out, said Desa Mentari residents.

Zaimah Baharom, a committee member at the low-cost apartment, said having such elections now would only cause confusion as many residents are not aware of its benefits.

“The issue is seen as a racial issue, so I think it should not be carried out in the near future but it can be implemented once more explanation and education is done.

“If you do it now, people will question your motives as they don’t understand the issue. We must first educate our community about what such elections are all about,” said Zaimah, one of the participants of an open dialogue about local council elections.

Zaimah said clearer explanations must be given about the benefits the Malay community would reap from such elections.

“For now, the Malays are asking: what do we get? They have been told that the Chinese will benefit more, so we have to tell them what will they get.

“It is also important to explain that it is not about race or religion. I think it can be implemented but not right now,” said Zaimah.

Another Desa Mentari community member, Muhammad Azzim Abdullah, said local council elections would help the poor and low-income earners raise issues concerning them.

“Having local council elections can help the poor and low-income earners like us get our message to the top.

“If we depend solely on the top brass to listen to us, I don’t think it is possible. Having people who we elect and trust will enable us to have our concerns heard.

“The top people won’t see us every day but those who we elect, we can see them regularly and can be a middleman for us to raise our worries,” said Azzim.

Like Zaimah, Azzim said that more awareness was needed before such elections could be conducted.

Azzim said those who did not agree with local council elections needed to be educated on the benefits of having a third vote.

“Maybe those who are against the idea don’t know the advantages. They don’t know that it will help us, the poor,” he added.

Abdul Latif Aziz, a resident of Kg Lindungan in Petaling Jaya, meanwhile, said that the Malays were not interested in finding out more about local council elections.

He said that, instead, the Malays will ask about the perks or anticipate something in return if they were asked to participate.

“The Malays are usually not interested in things like this. They do not want to cooperate and will ask whether there are any perks or what they can get from participating.

“Moreover, now racial issues are being added to the mix, so how do we teach them about local council election?” he said.

“If PAS disagrees with it, it is fine, but come up with an alternative. Everyone can criticise but you have to have a replacement if you don’t agree.” 

Local council elections were recenly criticised by Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad and PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang.

Dr Mahathir had said that the election would only cause racial strife while Hadi said the election would only benefit the Chinese.

The last time local council elections were held was in 1965. – January 13, 2019.