PETPOSITIVE UPDATE:Good news everybody!
Tuesday at 10.30am is the day and date when I, together with all the other Majlis Bandaran Petaling Jaya will be sworn-in as local councillors.
We will be under probation for a year before the powers-that-be decide to confirm us.
I have not received any letter yet to date. However, I was told by another councillor who got hers that Tuesday will also be our first official meeting with each other.
The MBPJ says that they will send their disabled-friendly van to pick me up. This will be the first time that I will be seeing the van, as well as have a chance to use it.
In the meantime, here are two stories in today's StarMetro on the issue:
Happy reading!
aNt
PET+BLOGSPOT
Thursday June 26, 2008
Gurdip Kaur elected into Selayang council
By STUART MICHAEL
INDEPENDENT Living and Training Centre (ILTC) secretary Gurdip Kaur Pritam Singh, who has been fighting for the rights of the disabled for the last 10 years, has been included as one of the 24 councillors in Selayang Municipal Council (MPS).
Gurdip, 47, said she was surprised that the state government hadappointed a disabled person as a councillor.
“I have always wanted to be a councillor someday to help the disabled community. Now, it's turning into a reality.
“I will make a promise to all the disabled people that I will help tackle problems like transport, toilet facilities and recreational areas. .
“In Rawang for example, motorists have always parked in disabled parking lots and I want this to stop . What the previous councillors did not fulfil, I will promise to bring it up in the council meetings,'' she said.
The others appointed under the non-political quota are Tan Kian Boo of Lembaga Arkitek Mia corporate member, Tan Hui Chuan (Rawang High No High Tension Cable committee), Associate Professor Dr Husin Mohd Dini (Dean of the Faculty of Architecture & Built Environment), Lim Jit Lee and Datuk Abdul Rashid Omar, a former Public Works Department director.
Most of the political appointees were made up of party workers of the Pakatan Rakyat’s coalition parties. Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) has the highest number of representation with nine followed with five from PAS and three from DAP.
MPS president Zainal Abidin Azim said that the councillors have a week to reply before the swearing-in ceremony.
“In fact, most of them have replied and the swearing in process and full board meeting will be held in the second week of July. We are following the directive from the state and like previously offering the councillorship for two year term,'' he said.
Thursday June 26, 2008
Pua joins chorus against MBPJ line-up
FOLLOWING the statement by Kam-pung Tunku assemblyman Lau Weng San, Petaling Jaya Utara MP Tony Pua (picture right) also spoke out against the appointment of a political party member under the non-governmental organisation (NGO) quota of the MBPJ councillor list.
“I’d like to express my regret and disappointment that such action has blemished an otherwise excellent step taken by the Selangor state government to include NGO participation while waiting for the local government to be democratically elected in the near future,” said Pua in his media statement.
He said while it was an important change for NGO members to be appointed to the local council, he called upon the state government to review its decision to ensure that only genuine and reputable NGO members and local residents association leaders are given priority.
In an earlier statement, Lau noted that that there were only six NGO councillors in the list: Richard Yeoh (Transparency International), Anthony Thanasayan (coordinator of Malaysians Against Discrimination of the Disabled), Dr Melasutra Md Dali (town planner), Cynthia Manonmani Michael Gabriel (Suaram), Derek Fernandez (prominent lawyer on local governance) and Paneer Sivam (labourer activist).
This singles out social activist Chan Chee Keong and certain quarters claim that he is a PKR member.
End
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