Press Conference Statement By Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng In Komtar, George Town On 13 January 2012.
Proposing To Issue a Gazette Notification Exempting All Local Authorities In Penang From Applying Section 15 of the Local Government Act 1976 Before Seeking A Court Declaration To Compel Elections Commission To Conduct Local Government Elections.
In 1956, George Town became the first local council in the country to have a fully elected council with the president elected from among the councillors. In 1965, local government elections in Malaysia were suspended. The official reasons given was that the country was facing the threat of Confrontation initiated by Indonesia.
The Local Government Act passed in 1976 , provided for only appointed councillors and presidents (Section 10) and was adopted by the Penang State Government. All councillors, including the presidents were appointed by the state government of the day. One of DAP’s key agenda is the restoration of local government elections.
The Penang PR state government has pressed for local government elections to enable councillors and mayors to be directly elected ever since we took power in 2008. Amongst some of the efforts taken by the Penang State Government to restore the third vote(after vote for parliament and state seats) are as follows:-
1. On 11/8/2009 The Penang State Government moved a resolution in the State Assembly calling on the Federal Government to bring back local government elections. This was passed by the Penang state assembly.
2. The State Government also engaged a 3 panel lawyer Dato Yeo Yang Poh, Mr Tommy Thomas and Malik Imtiaz and to provide legal opinion to the Penang State Government or our rights and powers to compel local government elections to be held.
3. The Penang State Government wrote a letter to National Council of Local Government (NCLG) under Article 95A of the Federal Constitution NCLG date on 13/7/2009 and requested bring up the topic of local government elections in this council. However the NCLG, rejected the State’s request.
4. Based on the advice of the 3 panel lawyers, I wrote to the Election Commission on behalf of Penang State Government on 4/3/2010 requesting the Election Commission to conduct local government elections. Under Article 113 (4) Federal Constitution, it is explicitly state that Federal or State law may authorise the Election Commission to conduct elections other than those referred to in Clause (1).
As Clause 1 refers to parliamentary and state seats, clearly the state government has jurisdiction over whether to hold election for municipal seats since local government is under the State list. The Ninth Schedule of the Federal Constitution of powers within the State List explicitly states that the state government decides over local government elections.
5. The reply by Election Commission dated 23 March 2010 to the Penang State Government rejecting the Penang State government’s request to restore Local Government Elections is disappointing. The Penang state government has no choice but to institute legal proceedings to compel the Election Commission to comply wth the state government’s directive to conduct local government elections.
As a first step, the Penang State Government has been advised by Tommy Thomas, at a meeting with Tommy Thomas and some EXCO members yesterday, to first negate Section 15 of the Local Government Act 1976. Section 15 states: “Not withstanding anything to the contrary contained in any written law, all provisions relating to local government elections shall cease to have force or effect.” In other words section 15 nullified all local government elections.
Tommy Thomas has also advised that the State government issue a Gazette notification exempting all the local authorities within Penang from applying Section 15 of the Local Government Act. This would result in section 15 not being applicable in Penang and is the first step towards seeking a court declaration to compel the Election Commission to conduct local government elections.
I will be proposing at the next EXCO meeting next week directing the State Legal Advisor to issue this gazette notification. This is a necessary precursor to take the issue to court to seek a declaration, which will be conducted by Tommy Thomas.
—- Mandarin Translation —–
槟州首席部长林冠英于2012年1月13日在乔治市发表声明：
我们提议，在宪报上公布通令，让槟州所有地方政府可以免于实施1976年地方政府法令第15条文，进一步申请庭令，迫使选举委员会必须执行地方政府选举。
1956年，乔治市成为我国第一个全面推行地方政府选举的地方，而且地方政府主席是由市议员推举的。1965年，我国地方政府选举被撤销。官方的理由是当时我国面对印尼对抗的威胁。
地方政府法令在1976年通过，其中第10条阐明市议员及主席是被委任的，也由槟州政府采纳。所有的市议员包括地方政府主席，都是由当今政府所委任的。而民主行动党的其中一项竞选议程就是恢复地方议会选举。
槟州民联政府自2008年执政以来，我们都一再施压，要求通过地方议会选举来选出市议员与市政局主席。在这方面，我们进行了一些努力，以归还人民的第三票（另外两票在国会议席、州议席） ：
1. 2009年8月11日，槟州政府在州议会内动议，要求联邦政府恢复地方议会选举。上述动议获得通过。
2. 州政府也找来三名律师拿督杨文波、汤米汤姆斯、玛力英迪亚斯，以提供法律意见给槟州政府，有关我们是否可以强硬进行地方政府选举。
3. 2009年7月13日，槟州政府也写信联邦宪法第95A条文下的国家地方政府理事会，要求在有关理事会讨论地方选举事项。但是，国家地方政府理事会拒绝州政府的要求。
4. 在三名律师的建议下，2010年3月4日，我代表槟州政府写信给选举委会员，要求选委会执行地方议员选举。在联邦宪法第113（4）条文阐明，除了在第（1）条款里所说，联邦法令或州法令可以授权选委会举行选举。
第（1）条款指的是国会及州议会议席选举，很明显地，州政府有权决定是否要进行地方选举，因为地方政府归州政府所管辖。联邦宪法第9项说明州政府的权力范围，很明显地阐明州政府决定地方政府选举。
5. 令人失望的是，选委会在2010年3月23日回函，拒绝槟州政府进行地方政府选举的要求。槟州政府别无选择，只好通过法律途径，申请庭令，迫使选委会遵守州政府的指令，举行地方政府选举。
在与汤米及一些行政议员会谈过后，第一步要做的就是否定1976年地方政府法令第15条文。第15条文阐明：“即使有与其它法律相反之处，所有与地方政府选举有关的条文将中止。”换句话说，第15条文宣判所有地方政府选举无效。
汤米也建议州政府在宪报上公布通令，让槟州所有地方政府免于实施地方政府法令第15条文。这将导致第15条文不适用于槟州，然后进一步通过法庭宣判，迫使选举委员会举行地方政府选举。
我将在下一次的行政会议上，指示槟州法律顾问，发布这项宪报通令。这是必要的行动，以让我们进一步申请庭令，汤米将负责此事。
林冠英