Friday 29 Mar 2024
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PETALING JAYA: Councillors who voted in favour of the three-month bonus for Petaling Jaya City Council (MBPJ) staff are expected to be hauled up by their respective parties and may face action for going against the state policy.

The councillors from PKR and PAS are now facing the wrath of their parties for bringing the state government into disrepute and they will now have to explain their decision to support the move.

Selayang PKR Member of Parliament William Leong, who is the party’s local government bureau chief, said all PKR councillors who had voted in favour would face the music.

He said all of them would be hauled before the bureau to explain their decision to support the bonus payout.

“If we are not satisfied with the answers, disciplinary action will be taken against them,” he told The Edge Financial Daily.

However, Leong added: “But we must remember that some of the councillors are new and were sworn in less than a month ago. So, they may have not known the implications of the vote.

“Let us hear their side of the story first.”

MBPJ PKR party whip Tang Fuie Koh said he had already met the state party leadership and Menteri Besar Mohd Azmin Ali about the issue.

Eleven of the 19 councillors who attended had voted for the bonus and increment, including for themselves, in the Feb 27 special full board meeting.

All non-governmental organisation (NGO) representatives, DAP councillors and one PKR representative had voted against the proposal.

Selangor PAS commissioner Iskandar Abdul Samad said the party would also be following up on the issue and the matter would be brought up at the next meeting with Selangor PAS local councillors.

Among those expected to show cause is Ghazali Daud who chaired the Feb 27 meeting.

According to a Finance Committee Report, 1,853 employees comprising staff, councillors, service contractors and part-time daily paid staff are to receive the bonus and increments.

NGO rep Cynthia Gabriel, who was one of the councillors opposed to the bonus and increment, had said it was difficult to justify the payouts which would have come up to over RM11 million as municipal services were still wanting.

 

This article first appeared in The Edge Financial Daily, on March 17, 2015.

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