How long must Penang wait for local council elections, rep asks

Bukit Tengah assemblyman Gooi Hsiao Leung lamented that Penang must endure an indefinite wait for local council elections, urging the state government to prioritize restoring them. In a state assembly debate on the 2027 budget, Gooi questioned how much longer the populace could patiently await the reinstatement of local elections, which were last held from 1956 to 1965.

The Penang backbencher clarified that the state government expressed its continued interest in reviving local council elections in a written response. However, Gooi lamented that the proposed legal amendments had not been submitted to Putrajaya nor had a timeline for pilot elections been established. Recognizing the existing legal obstacles and the necessity of federal cooperation, Gooi posed the question: after more than half a century, how much longer should Penang endure?

While the federal government remains unready to reintroduce local elections, Gooi stressed that the Penang government must ensure the issue remains on the national reform agenda. He recounted a conversation with a Stuttgart, Germany city council official, who expressed astonishment that Malaysia's 155 local authorities have appointed mayors rather than elected ones.

Local elections were halted in 1966 following a royal commission's recommendation for their restoration. The Local Government Act 1976 effectively suspended the possibility of local elections, empowering state governments to appoint mayors, presidents, and councillors instead of electing them. In 2008, Penang and Selangor's Pakatan Harapan-led governments attempted to revive local elections but failed.

In February 2024, housing and local government minister Nga Kor Ming revealed that local council elections were not a priority for his ministry, which focused on other matters like road safety and improved public sanitation.