Prominent PJ councillor dropped
(From right) Fernandez, Khairul Anuar, Chan, Cynthia and Anthony who are a pain to the state leaders expected to be dropped from MBPJ tomorrow.
Terence Fernandez, fz.com
Prominent local councillor Derek Fernandez is expected to be dropped from the Petaling Jaya City Council (MBPJ), when the new board of councillors is announced tomorrow.
Sources said Fernandez, a vocal advocate of good governance and an expert on local government and planning laws will be making way as part of a new state policy to limit the term of councillors to two terms.
Fernandez, when contacted confirmed that he had not received any reappointment letter but declined to comment on his exit from MPBJ, which he has served since Pakatan Rakyat took over the administration of Selangor in 2008.
Fernandez however is not alone. It is believed that another “noisy” councillor Cynthia Gabriel has also been given the boot, along with sole OKU (special needs persons) representative Anthony Thanasayan.
Other councillors said to be dropped are Khairul Anuar Ahmad Zainudin and Chan Chee Keong.
The new policy, while praised so as to allow deadwood to be removed has also been criticised as a tool to remove councillors who are a pain to state leaders.
MBPJ, for instance is notorious for “blocking” development orders and applications that do not follow the law, causing much grief to politicians who want to reward supporters and donors for helping them win their state or parliamentary seats.
Fernandez, for instance was responsible in helping to draft the state’s new billboard policy which basically threw sand into the rice bowls of politicians, civil servants and businessmen who were reaping the benefits of a highly corrupt system that relied on kickbacks and led to indiscriminate mushrooming of billboards.
Due to his legal background, he was also the bell-weather of the council’s legal affairs and was among those who raised the alarm when a senior council staff illegally entered a consent order on behalf of the council, with a billboard company. (LINK http://www.fz.com/content/billboard-firm-takes-contempt-action-against-m…)
It is understood that Mayor Datin Paduka Alinah Ahmad who had rated Fernandez the highest among all the 24 councillors is upset at losing some of the full board members.
“But it is a state policy and political matter, so she has no say,” said a state source.
However the source tells fz.com that those dropped seem to only affect PKR representatives.
There seems to be some truth to this, as all those said to be removed from MBPJ are PKR appointees representing NGOs and professionals.
“Change is good but if good councillors are replaced with clowns and ‘Yes’ men, then we know why,” said the source.
