SPECULATION is rife that Selayang Municipal Council (MPS) president Mohd Azizi Mohd Zain will succeed Petaling Jaya mayor Datin Paduka Alinah Ahmad, who is due to step down on Dec 31 when her one-term contract ends.

According to a source, the Selangor Government had submitted Mohd Azizi’s name to the Public Services Department and Chief Secretary to the Government Tan Sri Dr Ali Hamsa to scrutinise the candidate’s aptitude and qualifications.

It is learnt that Mohd Azizi’s name was the only one submitted and he was recommended for the mayor’s post because Selangor Mentri Besar Azmin Ali who lives in Gombak, which is under MPS jurisdiction, had been impressed by Mohd Azizi’s stewardship of the council which includes the continuous monitoring of high-risk landslide areas, collection of domestic waste and general cleanliness within the district.

Selayang is bordered by three cities — Shah Alam, Petaling Jaya and Kuala Lumpur — but because of its municipal status, it does not have the same amount of resources as them. The main form of revenue for local authorities are assessment taxes and business licence permits.

The 54-year-old is credited to have increased revenue for MPS which suffered a budget deficit from 2005 to 2011, with an annual shortfall ranging between RM2.3mil and RM4mil during the six years.

However in the past two years, MPS’ financial statements showed a budget surplus of RM2mil in 2013 and RM1.06mil so far this year.

With him so far being the only candidate named for the Petaling Jaya mayor position, it is very likely he is headed for the high-profile post.

The qualified accountant began his career as an assistant director at the National Accountant-General’s Office in Keningau, Sabah in 1985 and served as an accountant with the Malaysian Students Department in London from 2007 to 2009.

He was also the National Accountants Department director in Putrajaya and became the Selangor State Treasurer from 2009 to 2012 before being reassigned to MPS as its president on Jan 2, 2013.

Mohd Azizi is credited to have put to good use many under-utilised assets that MPS owned.

He refurbished four multi-purpose halls and rented it at a higher rate, as well as implementing a number of methods to reduce wastage through regular maintenance.

“In this aspect he is like the present Petaling Jaya mayor Datin Paduka Alinah Ahmad.

“Both display entrepreneurial strength in increasing revenue with existing resources.

“Before Alinah’s appointment as the Malaysia’s first female mayor, she had served as Selangor Housing Board chief executive officer. She has vast experience in land matters,” said a state official who declined to be identified.

Alinah replaced Datuk Mohamad Roslan Sakiman who had served three terms. Currently, Roslan is the Deputy State Secretary (development).

While Alinah is not without her share of controversies, namely the Petaling Jaya Draft Plan amendments and the one-way loop, pensioners in the city are grateful that the mayor found other methods to increase revenue for Petaling Jaya City Council (MBPJ) instead of raising the assessment for 2014 and 2015.

MBPJ councillor Tang Fuie Koh believes Mohd Azizi will be up to the job if it is true he is appointed mayor.

“We want him to work with the councillors, listen to the people’s views and resolve the issues that range from collection of domestic garbage, potholes, public transportation and flash-floods that affect Jalan 222 and Taman Dato Harun off Jalan Kelang Lama,” he said.

Another MBPJ councillor, Mahharul Ismail agreed with Tang, saying “Mohd Azizi will be a good candidate because of his indepth experience in management matters and he has a good grasp in accounting.”