KUALA LUMPUR: Datuk Nor Hisham Ahmad Dahlan is not preoccupied with the legacy he will leave behind as the Kuala Lumpur mayor.
With his tenure ending on Oct 2 without any official word on his replacement or extension, Nor Hisham, who has more than 40 years of experience under his belt, looks prepared to take it either way.
"If I can fade into the background like many people in this city, that's enough for me after these two years. I want no legacy and I don't want to be remembered.
"All I want is for the work to be done and there will be continuity and enhancement for what has been done for the city after me."
He said that civil servants were appointed to serve the government of the day; to be neutral and serve an advisory role to the decision-makers.
"We are like the flagpole in Dataran Merdeka. We stand straight and need to do our duty.
"It's also part of our oath," he said, when asked about how it felt to serve two ministers under different regimes.
Nor Hisham has long hinted that he wanted to retire this year, but Federal Territories Minister Tan Sri Annuar Musa has yet to say anything on the subject.
The New Straits Times sent Annuar a text message on the matter and is awaiting his reply.
Nor Hisham, 64, shared that his vision for KL would not end with the job.
"I still wish that KL becomes a world-class city.
"I wish to see a more equitable and vibrant city with development, opportunity and trade disparities addressed so everyone can feel a sense of ownership of the city.
"Development shouldn't just be for Pavilion.
"It should be for the small-timers such as the kiosk operators and petty traders in Dataran Merdeka.
"There should be a sense of inclusivity, allowing everyone to feel safe and free to move around instead of being bogged down by trash woes, traffic and inefficient public transport facilities."
Nor Hisham said this did not mean that KL would be a Utopia, instead, the goal was ultimately for it to become a people-centric city.
"This is why we are engaging everyone for the Kuala Lumpur 2040 draft plans. "
Nor Hisham declined to rate achievements, but said that he would have liked to see the pedestrianisation of Jalan Tuanku Abdul Rahman to happen as envisioned and believed that pedestrianising 10 roads in the city by 2025 was achievable, but it had to be coupled with commitment to reduce the number of cars in the city.
Nor Hisham added that he had no advice for his successors, but remarked in a tongue-in-cheek manner that the acronym 'DBKL' cut two ways.
"One stands for the authority itself which gets international praise and accolades, and the other stands for Datuk Bandar Kuala Lumpur, which people always speak of in a disparaging tone for things that they are pissed off with, such as floods and rubbish."
He stressed the need to enhance employees' welfare, especially the low-grade officers.
"I too heard the horror stories about City Hall staff and corruption before coming into office. But I soon realised that despite its few bad hats, which is something we find everywhere, we can't paint all of them in the same light.
"City Hall has some of the best staff," he said.