Quit MCA if keen on posts in the Pakatan Rakyat-led state government - The Star

TAIPING: May 3, 2008

MCA members in Perak must quit the party if they want to be councillors in the Pakatan Rakyat-led state government.

Perak MCA secretary Datuk Ho Cheng Wang said party members could still serve the people even though they did not hold any post in a municipal or district council.

Ho, a former state executive council member in the previous Barisan Nasional-led state government, said he was a living example where “an ordinary person could effectively serve the people.”

“If MCA members want to serve as councillors, they have to quit the party,” he said.

Ho was commenting on a statement by state Education, Local Government, Housing and Public Transport Committee chairman Nga Kor Ming, who claimed yesterday that an MCA branch chairman, a life member and former councillors had expressed interest in being appointed as councillors.

Speaking to reporters after witnessing the opening of the Taiping DAP elected representative’s service centre on Jalan Taming Sari here yesterday, Nga also claimed that a Wanita Gerakan member and a Datuk had also expressed interest in serving in such a post.

Nga, who is Taiping MP and Pantai Remis assemblyman, said the state government would issue application forms and a book of guidelines to aspiring councillors after May 7, the deadline for those appointed by the previous state government to submit their resignation letters.

Nga said that so far, the state government had only received the resignation letters of those councillors representing the MCA.

“Barisan councillors have to resign by May 7, failing which they are required to state reasons for their refusal to resign.”

He said the state government would issue the application forms and the guidelines to enable those interested to apply for such posts in all the 15 local authorities in the state.

“So far, we have received hundreds of applications even though the state government has yet to announce the matter,” he said.

He said a selection committee had been formed to vet the applications.

To a question that councillors who refused to resign believed they had a right to hold on to the post for a year pending the expiry of their appointment, Nga said under the Local Government Act, they were supposed to be appointed by the current state authority.