Nga said that as announced by federal territories minister Hannah Yeoh, the matter had been entrusted to IIUM for a comprehensive assessment.

“Let the scholars and experts complete their study first. Once it is ready, we will present it to the Cabinet for discussion to determine the best approach.

“However, I would like to remind everyone that mayoral elections are not new.

“We actually had local government elections before (after independence), but many have forgotten our national history,” he told a media conference after attending the ‘Kampung Baru Sentuhan Kejayaan’ programme here today.

He said mayoral elections are held even in Bangkok and in Jakarta.

“In London, Sadiq Khan is a Muslim, yet Londoners elected him not because he is a Muslim, but because of his performance. Only one reason, because he can perform.

“If someone cannot perform, what is the point then? What matters is that we care, we serve and we deliver,” he said.

Yesterday, communications minister Fahmi Fadzil said IIUM has the capability and credibility to conduct academic studies on the feasibility of local government elections and the appointment of the Kuala Lumpur mayor.

On Feb 3, Yeoh said the feasibility study on holding local government elections in Kuala Lumpur, including the selection of the  mayor, had been underway since last year when Dr Zaliha Mustafa headed the federal territories ministry.