Local Counsel - Judge not by place of birth

THE beginning of the year is an interesting time for local councillors who are newly appointed or reappointed. While the responsibilities of a councillor are challenging, it is a good stepping stone to be a state assemblyman or member of parliament.
Following the public announcement of the new councillors' list, a Penang MCA leader commented that it was "not appropriate" for the Penang state government to appoint a "non-Penangite" to be a councillor in the Penang Island City Council or Majlis Bandaraya Pulau Pinang (MBPP). According to him, "it is unfair to Penangites as I feel a local can better understand the pressing issues."
The councillor in question is Gan Ay Ling. Although she was born in Kuala Pilah, Negri Sembilan, she said that she had been living in Penang for the last 15 years.
Unless the MCA leader has a good knowledge of Gan and her lack of familiarity of Penang Island, he should not have gone to the press to say that she should not be chosen to be a councillor.
It is acceptable and expected of MCA leaders or any other Barisan Nasional (BN) leaders to point out the wrong-doings of the Pakatan Penang government. But it is unfair to pin-point a new councillor that she is not fit to be one as soon as she has taken her pledge. What is important is that she must carry out her responsibilities well.
Fifteen years is long enough for anyone to be familiar with affairs of any city or municipality. Those who are keen to serve the community would have taken enough time to familiarise themselves with the needs and wants of the residents.
The Local Government Act of 1976 does not require a person to have very stringent qualifications to be appointed local councillor. The Act only states, "Councillors of the local authority shall be appointed from amongst persons the majority of whom shall be persons ordinarily residents in the local authority area who in the opinion of the State Authority have wide experience in local government affairs or who have achieved distinction in any profession, commerce or industry, or are otherwise capable of representing the interests of their communities in the local authority area." (Local Government Act, Section 10 (2))
If politicians from the opposition want to criticise the workings of the local authorities in Penang, there are many things they can point out.
For example, both Seberang Prai and Penang Island are not as clean as they should be. More specifically, many drains are clogged with solid waste such as plastic bags, newspapers, left-over food and used-food containers.
Too many motorcyclists and other vehicle drivers park their vehicles indiscriminately, thus making it very difficult for pedestrians to walk safely.
One only needs to walk on the very narrow pavements along Gurney Drive from Cantonment Road to Zealand Restaurant to be confronted with various parked vehicles, be they motorcycles, cars, vans or lorries. The local authorities are not firm in enforcing the no-parking rules.
In many places, there are no facilities for pedestrians. For example, it is scary and difficult to walk from Glugor to Jelutong along Jalan Sultan Azlan Shah, although the distance is less than 2km. The flyover above the Udini roundabout has no provisions for pedestrians at all.
Besides the problems of cleanliness, illegal and indiscriminate parking, and lack of facilities for pedestrians, there are many cases of illegal change of building use in residential areas.
If the BN leaders want Penangites to have a better quality of life, they should complain more about the above problems and help solve them.
Another pressing issue is the ferry service between the island and the mainland. It is in a sorry state and needs upgrading. The ferries should not be solely for those who need to cross the channel as a means of transport.
Riding the ferries should be one of the pleasant things that visitors must do to see and feel Penang.
It is useful to note that the chairman of the Penang Port Commission in charge of the ferry service is none other than the MCA leader who thinks that Gan Ay Ling is not fit to be a Penang Island councillor because she was not born here.
If the BN component parties are determined to be the next government of Penang, their leaders must show that they fully understand the wants and needs of Penangites. Making the life of a councillor miserable is not going to help.
Datuk Dr Goh Ban Lee is interested in urban governance, housing and urban planning. Comments: letters@thesundaily.com