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SHAH ALAM: Despite setbacks such as allegations of ex-convicts on its list of local councillors, candidates being dropped at the last minute and one declining, the Selangor government will continue as planned.
The state government stated yesterday it will stick to having a total of 288 councillors for its local councils, and there would be no reduction.
The executive councillor for local government and research analysis, Ronnie Liu, said the state government would fill the vacant posts with other qualified people willing to work for the councils.
"We will maintain the 288 councillors quota. If there is any vacancy we will fill it with the next available qualified person.
"It will not affect the system as the proportion between political parties and non-governmental organisations will be the same," he said.
Liu said 75 per cent of the councillors were political party members while the rest comprised professionals and representatives of non-governmental organisations.
He said a mass swearing-in of local councillors tomorrow at the state secretariat building would go on as scheduled.
"Although some local councillors have already been sworn-in, we have planned this mass swearing-in ceremony as an additional exercise," Liu said, adding that senior officials from the Housing and Local Government Ministry would also attend the function.
"These officials will brief the new councillors on their duties as well as share their experiences with them."
On another issue, Liu said the appointment of Ahmad Zamri Kamaruddin, the former Shah Alam city planning director as councillor was put on hold by the state secretariat because he declined the offer.
"However, I do not know why he declined the appointment," Liu said.
Menteri Besar Tan Sri Abdul Khalid Ibrahim, when asked about Ahmad Zamri's name being put on hold, he said it was normal practice for the state government to constantly review the candidates even until the last minute.
"There is no definite reason. We will always review the names that we want to endorse as councillors in our local councils," he said.
On reports that three ex-convicts were among the candidates as councillors in Ampang Jaya, and that another was listed as a member of an association when his name is not on its database, Khalid said he was unaware of the cases. He pledged to personally investigate the matter.
Abdul Aziz Ahmad listed as a member of the Muslim Consumer Association when appointed to Ampang Jaya council, but the association's project coordinator Noor Nirwandy Mat Noordin was reported to have denied that Abdul Aziz was a member and said his records were not in the association's database.
To this, Khalid responded: "Sometimes there are too many NGOs listed as councillors. We will definitely investigate this. Thank you for letting us know."
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