Today, the backbench MPs for Kuala Lumpur have submitted a Private Members Bill to amend the Federal Capital Act 1960. Our priority has always been to defend as well as advance the rights and wellbeing of the people of our nation’s capital.
(PDF copy of the Private Members Bill: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1TCRorSLWsF4ONdaW883_jCPy2yTQBSOD)
The purpose of this amendment is to follow through with the recommendations from the bipartisan Public Accounts Committee (PAC) that were made in August 2025 to reform the governance of Kuala Lumpur from being under an all-powerful Mayor appointed by the Federal Government to a councillor-system as is the case with other local governments across the nation under the Local Government Act 1976.
Today, the DBKL has reached high-income status. The City Council is budgeted to spend RM2.835 billion in 2025, slightly below Selangor but ahead of Johor. However, it is arguable that almost unlimited authority is vested with the individual Mayor, traditionally a civil servant, with only minimal checks-and-balances from the Board of Advisors and the Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department in charge of the Federal Territories.
We strongly believe that passing this Bill will fulfil the section of Pakatan Harapan’s manifesto which pledged that the government: “will work hard to empower democracy and transparency in DBKL through systematic methods. This effort will ensure that all Malaysians can elect representation that is reliable, inclusive and represents the interests of the people, not the developers.” It should also be noted that 10 out of Kuala Lumpur’s 11 MPs won on this manifesto.
We are of the further view that this Bill is an inclusive policy that will ensure that even when the majority of MPs in Kuala Lumpur do not belong to the Federal Government (as was the case during 2008-2018 and 2020-2022), the voices of the residents of the capital will be represented in the DBKL.
The various public controversies affecting certain urban areas in recent times, including in Kuala Lumpur, make this reform all the more urgent.
A practical pathway towards greater democratisation in Kuala Lumpur is to implement the PAC’s recommendation for a councillor-system, where the Mayor will be first among equals with councillors nominated by Kuala Lumpur MPs. No other major changes are made to the Federal Capital Act 1960 under this Bill.
We are confident the Federal Government and Parliament will seriously consider this Bill as part of reforms for greater accountability and transparency in our capital city.
NIK NAZMI NIK AHMAD, MEMBER OF PARLIAMENT FOR SETIAWANGSA
TERESA KOK SUH SIM, MEMBER OF PARLIAMENT FOR SEPUTEH
IR. TS. ZAHIR HASSAN, MEMBER OF PARLIAMENT FOR WANGSA MAJU
TAN KOK WAI, MEMBER OF PARLIAMENT FOR CHERAS
LIM LIP ENG, MEMBER OF PARLIAMENT FOR KEPONG
PRABAKARAN A/L M PARAMESWARAN, MEMBER OF PARLIAMENT FOR BATU
FONG KUI LUN, MEMBER OF PARLIAMENT FOR BUKIT BINTANG