Councillors in trouble for trying to get contracts
The Selangor Government will not hesitate to take action against any local councillors caught soliciting contracts for themselves or their cronies.
State local government committee chairman Ronnie Liu said the state was serious and such corrupt practices would not be compromised at any level.
In the past, Liu said, two councillors were sacked after they were found guilty of soliciting contracts for their family members and cronies.
“Likewise, the axe will fall on councillors who misuse their position to serve their own interest.
“Soliciting contracts is a definite ‘No, No’ and the state views such matters very seriously,” he said.
Liu said local councillors were not allowed to “confront presidents or mayors” for projects as it was against the state’s policy of sharing contracts among the councillors.
Similarly, he said, council presidents and mayors were not allowed to offer contracts to the councillors.
“It is not right for the council heads to give away contracts to the councillors due to pressure or to please them.
“These are the things that the Pakatan Rakyat Government do not want to be associated with,” he said adding that this was in line with the state’s good governance and transparency policy.
When asked to comment on the StarMetro report on Tuesday that some councillors at the Shah Alam City Council (MBSA) had boycotted its full board meeting after they failed to get contracts, Liu said, those with information must be willing to show evidence that such a thing had occurred.
Unless there was proof, Liu said, it remained nothing more than a mere allegation.
“I hope those with information will feel free to see me so that the matter can be investigated,” he said.
StarMetro under the headline “Contract fallout” reported several councillors from the Shah Alam City Council (MBSA), who were unhappy after failing to secure contracts f
or themselves and their cronies, staged a boycott against mayor Datuk Mohd Jaafar Mohd Atan.
The councillors were apparently unhappy that the city’s new mayor – who replaced Datuk Mazalan Md Noor in May – did not entertain their request for contracts.
The councillors – almost half of the 25 in MBSA – had skipped the monthly meeting at the end of last month and had hoped that the meeting would be called off due to lack of quorum.
However, their hopes fell flat as there was enough quorum and the meeting proceeded without a hitch.
A source told StarMetro that the mayor and the rest of the MBSA officers who were present at the meeting were unaware of the boycott.
They were under the impression that it was just a coincidence that quite a number of them were absent from the meeting.
Incidentally, the source said that the mayor and the council were later informed that the “absent” councillors had deliberately skipped the session.
The source revealed that the councillors had approached Jaafar for favours by asking for on-the-spot maintenance jobs that were below RM20,000.
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