Call for local polls after departure of KL’s ‘first world-class mayor’

MPs and critics note residents of Malaysian capital do not have a say in how city is run

- Hadi Azmi Malaysia Correspondent

KL, previously overshadowed by neighbouring Bangkok and Singapore, emerged as one of the world's top 10 most visited cities in 2024, with 17.5 million international tourist arrivals. It was a sharp spike of 73 per cent from 2023, earning businesses in the city almost RM28 billion from shopping alone. PHOTO: LIANHE ZAOBAO

(LIANHE ZAOBAO)

The abrupt departure of Kuala Lumpur’s first woman mayor after just 16 months has reignited calls for the Malaysian capital's two million residents to elect their own leader, rather than having one appointed by the federal government.

Datuk Seri Maimunah Mohd Sharif, a champion of inclusive urban planning, left Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL) in November 2025 with little explanation - raising questions about the city’s direction, and highlighting the political vulnerability of appointed mayors who lack a popular mandate.

Documentary filmmaker Amirul Ruslan, who runs The KUL Things account on TikTok and Instagram covering the city, said it was very disappointing to lose someone of her calibre.

“KL lost its first world-class mayor, for what we keep saying is a world-class city,” said Mr Amirul, who also runs the Explaining MaJaysia YouTube channel.

“The lack of transparency we saw with Maimunah’s transfer, with secretive press releases published in the middle of the night, really was a stark reminder of how not having our own elected mayor hurts the city in the long term.”

Madam Maimunah had a stellar career before her short stint at the DBKL; she was the first Asian woman to be appointed executive director of the United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat).

She has now been redeployed as the property adviser at Malaysia’s state-owned oil company Petronas, while Mr Fadlun Mak Ujud - a former president of Putrajaya Corporation that administers the federal administrative capital - was appointed to succeed her at DBKL.