EC: Penang and Selangor cannot hold local govt elections - The Star

By MAZWIN NIK ANIS

PUTRAJAYA: The Election Commission cannot hold elections for local governments - including in Penang and Selangor - as the legal provision which allows it to do so was repealed when the Local Government Act 1976 came into effect.

Commission chairman Tan Sri Abdul Aziz Yusoff said the Local Government Elections Act 1960 which allowed for the commission to supervise the elections of local councillors had been repealed in 1976.

He said it was stated under the Local Government Act that all provisions in any law related to local government elections were ceased, adding that councillors were instead picked through appointment by the respective state governments instead.

“I would like to stress that we are not rejecting requests by Penang and Selangor governments to hold elections for local government. However, we are not able to hold the elections as there is no enabling law or legal provision for us to do so.

“However, if the two states are still keen to pursue the matter, they will have to raise the issue with the National Council for Local Government, which has the authority to look into this and not the Election Commission,” he told reporters at a press conference Wednesday.

[More at http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2010/3/24/nation/20100324115854&sec=nation]