As the guessing game on who will be named Kuala Lumpur’s mayor continues, stakeholders hope there will not be a political appointment to the post. They say, the new mayor must also be able to make Kuala Lumpur great again.
Selamatkan Kuala Lumpur chairman Datuk M. Ali hopes the next mayor will not be a political appointee.
“We have had insiders from City Hall being named as mayor in the past. What we need is a new face, someone outside the four walls of City Hall, to run the show,” said Ali.
“We need a professional. The mayor should not be a political appointee, as we have had several of them being appointed in recent weeks.”
On March 10, former Umno Youth chief Datuk Asyraf Wajdi Dusuki was appointed Majlis Amanah Rakyat chairman. Ahmad Sabki Yusof, a former political secretary to Amanah deputy president Datuk Salahuddin Ayob, was made Companies Commission of Malaysia chairman, effective March 1.
Other political appointees include former Balik Pulau MP Datuk Muhammad Bakhtiar Wan Chik, who was made chairman of MyCreative Ventures Sdn Bhd, and former Machang MP Datuk Ahmad Jazlan Yaakub, who was appointed Felcra chairman, last month.
In February, Professor Dr Faiz Abdullah was appointed chairman of the Institute of Strategic and International Studies (Isis) Malaysia for a three-year term. Faiz co-founded the World Forum for Muslim Democrats in 2009 with current Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, as chairman.
Ali added the new mayor must also be open-minded and receptive to the public’s views.
“The mayor must be dynamic. There must be an open system where it is possible for open dialogues to be held with the mayor and all stakeholders in the city.
“The mayor must also have the willpower to do what is right for the people and not be subservient to any other party,” said Ali, whose movement represents over 30 residents’ associations in Kuala Lumpur.
According to Section 4(2) of the Federal Capital Act 1960, the appointment of the commissioner of the city of Kuala Lumpur (mayor) shall be made by the Yang di-Pertuan Agong, for a term of five years, or shorter.
The recommendation of the candidate is made to the Agong, by the prime minister.
Twentytwo13 was made to understand that Anwar is still deliberating on who will be the next mayor after several names were provided to him.
They included Kuala Lumpur City Hall’s executive director (planning) Datuk Sulaiman Mohamed, and City Hall’s executive director (project management) Datuk Kamarulzaman Mat Salleh.
Sulaiman is a qualified town planner, while Kamarulzaman is a qualified quantity surveyor.
The other candidates are believed to be “outsiders”, but it is uncertain if they are public service department officers.
Sources familiar with the matter said ideally, the appointment should have been made before former mayor Datuk Seri Mahadi Che Ngah’s contract ended on March 31.
“As we all know, Anwar has been busy. He has been representing the country abroad (Saudi Arabia and China) and he has also been busy in the Dewan Rakyat, especially during the Prime Minister’s Question Time,” a source said.
“He needs some time to deliberate, as he will need to select a mayor who is able to take Kuala Lumpur to the next level.”.
Cheras MP Tan Kok Wai had, during a meeting with Anwar last year, told the prime minister that “Kuala Lumpur will either make or break the country.”
“The mayor of Kuala Lumpur must make KL a great, world-class city,” said Tan.
“We hope that the new mayor, whoever it is, will be someone who has the traits of a ‘champion’, to take the city to greater heights.”
