KUALA LUMPUR: The unity government has no plans to introduce local council elections for the moment, said Local Government Development Minister Nga Kor Ming.
He said it was not a priority for the ministry currently, as there are other areas it is currently working on, such as road safety, as well as cleaner public toilets and drains.
"Among the other pressing issues include empowering the local councils, developing the potential of local councils to generate additional sources of income for the country, as well as having more comprehensive housing planning and empowering the communities, regardless of race," he told the Dewan Rakyat.
Nga was responding to a question from Datuk Seri Takiyuddin Hassan (PN-Kota Baru), who had asked if the ministry had any plans to introduce local council elections in the country.
Local council elections, previously a mainstay, were suspended in the 1960s during the Emergency Proclamation following the Malaysia-Indonesia Confrontation.
In 1976, the government passed the Local Government Act which led to the abolishment of local council elections.
DAP had over the years championed the return of local council elections. In 2019, the Kuala Lumpur Federal Territories DAP Convention passed a resolution calling for the restoration of local council elections.
However, when Pakatan Harapan came to federal power in 2018, then housing and local government minister Datuk Zuraida Kamaruddin had said the nation "could not afford" to hold local elections.
Meanwhile, on an unrelated subject, Nga said the enactment of the Consumer Credit Act (CCA) will take into account the provision for syariah-compliant financing and Islamic pawnbroking by the non-banking industry.
He said the enactment of the new law, led by the Finance Ministry and the Securities Commission, is aimed at better protecting the interests of consumers.
He said this in response to a supplementary question posed by Shaharizukirnain Abd Kadir (PN-Setiu), who asked about the number of community credit companies that were syariah-compliant.
Nga said up to Jan 31, there were 4,817 licensed holders of community credit companies in the country.
"Of the total, 60 per cent are Bumiputera," he said.
Nga said the government had no plans to increase the interest on community credit loans, even though the current rates offered were among the lowest compared to other countries.
He said the rates in Malaysia currently stood between 12 and 18 per cent.
Other countries, Nga said, such as Singapore is at 20 per cent; Hong Kong is between 20 and 60 per cent; the Philliphones (no limit, willing borrower and lender); Australia (48 per cent) and India at 21 per cent.