Jangan buat andaian Melayu bantah pilihan raya PBT, kata Nik Nazmi

Former Malaysia minister Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad cautioned against presuming that Malays would reject the Local Government Authority (PBT) election, pointing to demographic data showing that Malays constitute the largest community in Kuala Lumpur at 48%. Speaking at a forum about the election, Nik Nazmi cited a review indicating the opposite, with a majority of Malay voters in Kuala Lumpur supporting the PBT election in whatever form.

He also referenced the Merdeka Center's review, which found that the majority of Malays nationwide supported the election of the Kuala Lumpur City Council (DBKL) head. Nik Nazmi noted that concerns about Malays being marginalized stem from historical concerns dating back to the colonial era and around the time of independence, when Malays faced economic weakness and demographic uncertainty.

The issues of demographic change and the broader issue of political ethnicity are rooted in the legacy of colonialism, she said. Malays now form the largest ethnic group in Malaysia, at 48%, and if we talk about votes, their number may be higher than the Chinese community, meaning that in the next five to ten years, the majority of voters in Kuala Lumpur may well be Malay.

Some right-wing politicians still carry the concerns shaped by the political and demographic situation of the past. Nik Nazmi stated that concerns about Malay representation in Kuala Lumpur should be addressed through the design of the election system, rather than used as a reason to reject the PBT election. He suggested that alternative representation models, such as proportional or party list systems, could address concerns about fair representation of ethnic and gender groups.

The PBT election was held before being suspended in 1965, but a Royal Commission was set up in 1965 to recommend its reinstatement; however, the federal government decided against it and amended the Local Government Act 1976, effectively prohibiting the election of DBKL heads by popular vote. The 1976 Act gave state governments the power to appoint city councils and mayors, not elected by the public.

In 2008, the governments of Penang and Selangor attempted to revive the PBT election to fulfill election promises, but failed. In February 2024, Housing and Local Government Minister Nga Kor Ming said that the PBT election is not a priority for her ministry, as the ministry focuses on other areas like road safety and public cleanliness.