Our Local Councilor Cynthia Gabriel
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By Jasraj Sandhu in General Published: Friday, 08 August 08 - 03:54 PM (GMT +08:00) Last Updated: Friday, 08 August 08 - 05:23 PM (GMT +08:00) |
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Giving voice to the people
By OH ING YEEN
FOR Petaling Jaya City Council (MBPJ) councillor Cynthia Gabriel, public participation is important in the local government.
“As cliched as it may sound, it is power back to the people,” she said, adding that that people should have a say and give ideas for improvement.
“The MBPJ full board meeting is open to the public and people need to be encouraged to participate and observe how MBPJ conducts the meetings,” she said.
Since being sworn in on July 1, life has been hectic for Gabriel.
”We have been having meetings to sort out our responsibilities as local councillors.
”Someone just sent me a thick pile of complaints last weekend and I’ve got my hands full,” she said.
While this is her first time being a local councillor, she is no stranger to dealing with people given her experience in dealing with human rights issues. She is the regional director for Coordination of Action Research on AIDS & Mobility Asia (CARAM Asia) and a former Suara Rakyat Malaysia (Suaram) executive director.
It took some encouragement from her friends for her to become a local councillor.
“It’s an opportunity to make a difference within the local government and to actualise things that we’ve talked about as NGOs.”
Her challenge, and that of the other councillors as well, is to undo and reverse bad practices of the past.
“One year is certainly not enough but it is an important one year. Our challenge is to be more forward-looking and expansive.
“To ensure the effectiveness of the local government, terms should be revised and it should be more realistic.
“Legislation and policy issues can be discussed at the local council level,” she said.
Gabriel would also like to urge the state government to initiate elections to ensure democracy.
“It should be the people who elect the local councillors,” she added.
She also stressed the importance of transparency and openness.
“It’s the councillors who need to be accountable to the people they represent.
“The tender committee is not something we, especially for non-political appointees like me, can be part of due to the non-inclusion policy.
“It is part of my challenge to reverse it to ensure that there will be no cronyism or nepotism,” she said.
She added that contracts that were awarded needed to be clarified and the information should be shared with the public.
“It should be based on merit and there should be clear criteria,” she said.
Gabriel plans to raise the issue of public funds and wastage and suggested that the local government appoint an ombudsman to oversee complaints lodged by the people.
”The public should have access to information, to know how the council makes its decisions.
“There should be a mechanism to oversee the works of MBPJ, such as an external audit,” she said.
She pointed out that many were confused about the roles of MP, assemblyman and local councillors.
Gabriel is also concerned about environmental issues and the uneven development in MBPJ.
“When I moved to Petaling Jaya, it was undeveloped and there were more open green spaces.
“Now, residents are beginning to express concerns about density and new condos coming up,” she said.
On the issue of crime prevention, she believes that it is important to work with residents to form a Rukun Tetangga or residents association.
Gabriel also hopes that the job of a local councillor will be made a full-time one.
“Although it is a voluntary appointment, it’s almost like a full time job already,” she said.
She also hoped that councillors would be given the freedom to make appointments to meet with the people.
”In the long run, meetings can be a way to give residents an opportunity to provide suggestions and feedback,” she said.
- Full name: CYNTHIA GABRIEL
- Age: 38
- Marital status: Married
- Number of children: None
- Hometown: Petaling Jaya
- Education: Masters in Philosophy
- Profession: Former executive director of SUARAM and Regional Director of CARAM Asia Council: MBPJ
- Zone: SS4, SS25 and PJU1
- Contact: 012-379 2189
- Email: cynth@pd.jaring.my
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| Faulty street lightsat jalan SS4A/1 | Kuldip singh | 10/19/09 |
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Top | Reply to this Title: Faulty street lightsat jalan SS4A/1 Author: Kuldip singh (http://vijeer43@yahoo.com) Date Posted: 19 Oct 2009 10:36 PM (GMT +08:00) I have informed the MBPJ office about the above faulty street lights twice about 2 weeks ago and uptodate the lights still remain faulty.It is only a minor fault as the pole fuse has tripped . Despite giving them my contact number HP 012 3270833 there has been no responsse. Is something really wrong with the administration dept. |
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