The wing’s vice-chief Raja Ahmad Iskandar Fareez said the future of Kuala Lumpur must rest in the hands of its own community, who live, work, and build their lives in the city.
“Empowering residents to elect the city’s leadership ensures an administration that better reflects local perspectives and needs,” he said in a statement.
He pointed out that local issues faced by residents in areas such as Kerinchi, Kampung Bharu, Kampung Datuk Keramat, Setapak, and Bandar Seri Permaisuri may not be fully understood by representatives from outside Kuala Lumpur.
He also noted that there were only 11 MPs in the capital to handle the constituency needs of 1.98 million people, compared to smaller states which have more elected representation.
“This stands in sharp contrast to states such as Perlis, Melaka, Negeri Sembilan and Terengganu, which have smaller populations yet are represented by state assembly representatives and local councillors,” he said.
He backed federal territories minister Hannah Yeoh’s instruction for her office to conduct a feasibility study on holding a mayoral election for Kuala Lumpur.
“The decision to study the proposal is timely and appropriate to assess the costs and benefits,” he said, adding that discussions on the issue should be grounded in facts and thorough evaluation, rather than shaped by racial or emotional sentiment.
Yeoh had said that the current administrative set-up was already overcomplicated, with the capital simultaneously overseen by a mayor, MPs and advisers from Kuala Lumpur City Hall.
Umno Supreme Council member Puad Zarkashi called on his party to set up a special secretariat to present a counter-response to the proposal for a mayoral election in the capital, while the party’s youth chief Dr Akmal Saleh also voiced opposition to the proposed election.
He said his party needed to oppose the proposal, just like how it thwarted plans to introduce the Urban Renewal Bill and calls to restore local council elections.
Yeoh, in an apparent jab at critics, later asked why some quarters “feared” research, saying that precise data and reliable facts were critical for making the right decision.