Selangor state government plans to have poll for the Petaling Jaya City Council (MBPJ) before the next general election in a bid to revive local government elections, said Selangor senior exco member Teresa Kok.

Reviving local government elections, which were suspended in 1965, is one of the election pledges made by DAP in 2008, but none of the four Pakatan Rakyat-administered states have fulfilled it after three years.

selangor dap congress 2011 1Kok (right in photo), who is also Selangor DAP chief, told media during the party's annual state congress yesterday that it will be a pilot project that involves only the 30 percent quota reserved for NGOs.

After taking over the state government in the 2008 general election, Pakatan Rakyat has opened up 30 percent of councillor posts in every local council for NGO representatives.

In comparison, states under BN’s administration have councillors who are political appointees.

Despite opening up local governments to NGO representation, Pakatan has been accused of 'hijacking' the NGO quota for its own political appointees and lacking transparency in the appointment process.

Reviving local elections in MBPJ is also one of the 11 resolutions passed by during the Selangor DAP congress in Seri Kembangan.

Seat negotiations done

In a related development, Selangor DAP vice-chief Teng Chang Khim revealed that the all three Pakatan component parties had completed seat negotiations in Selangor and agreed to maintain the status quo.

This means DAP will contest four parliamentary and 15 state constituencies while PKR will stand in 11 parliamentary and 20 state constituencies. PAS will field candidates in the remaining 11 parliamentary and 21 state constituencies.

Teng, who is also the state legislative assembly speaker, pointed out that the sultan has no authority to command Selangor Menteri Besar Abdul Khalid Ibrahim to dissolve the state assembly.

He explained that the state constitution gives the executive branch the power to decide the date of the state election.

Teng was referring to the statement made by Khalid earlier that he would not dissolve the Selangor state assembly before next June in order to implement the policies under the state budget 2012.

However, Teng stressed that Khalid would have to obtain the ruler's consent before dissolving the house.

"The sultan is the final person that decides... if he says no, that's it," he told the media on the sidelines of the party congress.