MAJLIS Bandaraya Subang Jaya councillors took their oath of office on January 18 2024. Appointed to serve a two-year term, the 24 councillors who represent the different zones in the City have been tasked to bridge the gap between ratepayers and the council.
Many among us may be ignorant of what exactly is this person we call a councillor.
Basically, the role of a councillor in the local government is to represent the views of the community while making decisions in their interests, demonstrate conduct that the community expects of its elected representatives, and plan and oversee the running of a significant and complex “business” of the day.
In short, they are the bridge between us and the council.
It’s coming to almost 9 months (almost the full term of a pregnancy) now since their appointment. Have our councillors performed to our expectations? Do you know who your councillor is for your area? Where’s their report card for the job they have been tasked to take on?
As I understand it, councillors take on the role of policy makers in the city council. They sit in numerous committees and attend many meetings domestically and sometimes abroad. They represent us (ratepayers) in all the day-to-day meetings and decision making in our best interest.
But, wait a minute! Have all the councillors been spending time updating us on what they have been representing us on? Have we had any proper briefings and updates from our councillors on what they have been working on or is this now Top Secret and for privileged ears and eyes only?
It’s been a while since we last had a proper Town Hall Meeting hosted and chaired by our councillors. There used to be a few community leaders who constantly called for such meetings to get updates and get feedback for us, the ratepayers. Unfortunately, they too have gone silent, maybe because the tables have been turned.
The ground is rumbling in Subang Jaya. They are not sinkholes; but more dangerously they take the form of disgruntlement and expressions of disappointments. Those who used to be moderates are now grumbling. They feel shortchanged and hoodwinked. Their voices have been drowned out by ears that have turned deaf.
Mayor Dato’ Amirul Azizan Dato’ Sri Abd Rahim had warned all MBSJ staff and councillors on the day he was appointed on July 23, “If you don’t want to reply to work-related messages, don’t work for MBSJ. Work for yourself.”
Has this warning woken up everyone. Perhaps it did, for a while. Some may have slunk back into slumber; back to their old ways because they think they can do so. Perhaps it’s time for the mayor to audit everyone’s work performance as a year-end review before deciding if anyone should be replaced.
The position of a councillor is not an impregnable fortress. Just as you were appointed, you can be replaced. Someone put you there; that someone can also remove you.
So, ladies and gentlemen. Pull up your pants and buck up. If it takes you longer than others to start your old engine, we can accept that. But if the engine still cannot start by the time we shout out “Happy New Year 2025”, then it’s better to gracefully bow out and let someone more capable take over.
It’s coming to that time of the year for us to draft our resolutions for the New Year. We will review our achievements thus far and decide if it should continue to be on the list for the coming year.
My wish for the New Year is to see younger leaders “installed” into the wheels of local governance as well as within the community. It’s time to inject new blood into the community and local government with fresher ideas and initiatives. The old guards have to bow out to make way for new blood. It’s not good enough to say no one wants to take over and lead. We have to first step down for others to fill the gap.
No one is indispensable. One day, we shall all have different priorities as we age and move on in life. If you are in your 50s and 60s, you might still have some energy in you but when you are older than that, it’s time to pass the baton to someone else.
Here’s wishing all our Hindu friends a Happy Deepavali which will be celebrated this month. Have a great month ahead everyone.
