An Umno Supreme Council member has called on the party to establish a special secretariat to mount a strong counter-response to the proposal for a mayoral election in Kuala Lumpur.
Puad Zarkashi said Umno must firmly oppose the idea, warning that it could open the door for gangsters and cartels to influence the outcome through their money and networks.
Concerns over underworld influence in the capital
In a Facebook post, Puad highlighted the significant presence of underworld activities, cartels and gangsters operating in Kuala Lumpur.
“Such an election could be influenced not only by political parties and racial sentiments, but also by cartels and gangsters,” he said.
He argued that if gangsters backed certain candidates, the mayor’s office would lose its independence.
“While civil servants can face disciplinary action for misconduct, an elected mayor would serve out their full term regardless,” he added.
Puad urged the party to act swiftly, drawing parallels with its previous opposition to the Urban Renewal Bill.
“Umno needs to immediately establish a special secretariat to present a counter-response, just as it opposed the Urban Renewal Bill,” he wrote.
Echoing calls to reject the proposal
Umno Youth chief Akmal Saleh also voiced strong opposition to the mayoral election plan.
“Just as we rejected and thwarted the plans for the Urban Renewal Bill and previous local council elections, we must likewise reject and thwart their plans for the mayoral election,” he said in a Facebook post.
The proposal surfaced after federal territories minister Hannah Yeoh announced that her office had been instructed to study the feasibility of electing a mayor for Kuala Lumpur.
Yeoh described the move as more practical than holding elections for multiple city councillors, noting that the current system is overly complicated with the capital overseen by a mayor, MPs and advisers from Kuala Lumpur City Hall.
Context of recent leadership change
The debate comes in the wake of Maimunah Sharif’s tenure as mayor ending abruptly before her scheduled completion date of Aug 16 next year.
Fadlun Mak Ujud was appointed as her successor with immediate effect.
In November, former city advisory board member Lai Chen Heng had suggested that calls for local elections in Kuala Lumpur should take a backseat while efforts focus on strengthening governance and professionalism in the city administration.
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