SHAH ALAM – Umno and Pas are challenged to present their own studies if they oppose the proposal to hold an election for the Kuala Lumpur mayor.
Kepong MP Lim Lip Eng said the two parties were rejecting the idea without providing facts or research to justify their stance to the public.
He said if Umno and Pas were truly confident that a mayoral election would not benefit Kuala Lumpur, they should openly publish their own studies for public scrutiny.
"This is not about playing political sentiment, but about research based on facts and data. Present it to the public and let the people of Kuala Lumpur decide.
"If Umno and Pas genuinely champion the interests of the people, they should not be afraid of transparent and open studies," he said in a statement on Tuesday.
Earlier, Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Federal Territories) Hannah Yeoh was reported to have instructed her ministry to conduct a feasibility study on holding a Kuala Lumpur mayoral election.
She said such an election was seen as more practical than electing a large number of city councillors through local government polls.
However, Yeoh's proposal drew objections from various quarters, including party leaders.
Meanwhile, Lim said if the parties concerned refused to publish any studies, the public had the right to question what they were actually afraid of.
He said democracy was the people’s right and Kuala Lumpur residents deserved the right to choose who governs their city.