SHAH ALAM, June 19: The live broadcast of Local Authority Council meetings on respective websites can strengthen the relationship between the Council and the local community.
The Kajang Municipal Council (MPKj), Mohammad Ali Khir Abdul Ghafar said that the move would not only demonstrate the transparency of Local Authorities in conducting work, but it would also provide information to the people on the services and work of Local Authoritative.
According to him, most of the locals assume that the Local Authorities no not carry out their duties because of their limited media access.
“In my opinion, this is a transparent and even the best move so that the people can see our work which is transparent and sincere.
“Many incidents occur, for example when Council Members carry out duties, there are residents who do not witness this. So if it is broadcast, it would be better because we do not have print or electronic media that can be touted to the public.
“What the Local Authorities are doing now does not reach the people, so basically it is a good move,” he said when contacted by TVSelangor.
For a Member of the Subang Jaya Municipal Council (MPSJ), Azizan Jamaludin, the effort is well received because in his opinion, there is nothing that needs to be concealed from public knowledge regarding the Council.
“We do everything in accordance with the requirements of the community, we try to implement everything possible. When we broadcast live, the people know what we agree with or what we do not.
“That way, the people cannot blame the local authorities if something goes wrong. The people should also be sensitive to the problems that arise and help solve it together instead of solely relying on local authorities,” he said.
Klang Municipal Council (MPK) Member, Ismail Arsat is of the opinion that a live broadcast of the meeting proves that the Local Authorities are more open and this allows the people to act as observers.
“The meeting is already open, it only i not shown live, thus we have no problem if the move is taken.
“It is currently already open, but if broadcast live, it will be more open. Residents can see what we discuss and how a proposal is approved,” he explained.
Meanwhile, the President of the Selayang Municipal Council (MPS), Mohd Azizi Mohd Zaid said that MPS is the first Local Authority to broadcast monthly meetings live since the beginning of this year.
“The people can observe and know what we discuss in council meeting; in fact the advantage is that they can give response to the discussions.
“This shows that there is interaction between the community and us,” he said.