Proposal: Citizens’ Eyes Portal for Monitoring Local Government Performance

 

By Stephen Ng

A. Introduction

1. Local government, as the third tier of governance, plays a pivotal role in shaping the daily lives of citizens. 

2. Its responsibilities include the maintenance of public infrastructure, waste management, provision of amenities such as streetlights and traffic signals, and the construction of pedestrian bridges across busy roads. 

3. Failure to deliver these services directly diminishes the quality of life of the community.

4. Monitoring local councils is, however, a complex task. Councils often assert their autonomy, and unlike in the past—when newspapers such as Malay Mail and Star Metro regularly highlighted local issues—today’s mechanisms for accountability are limited. 

5. Effective oversight must therefore be a collective effort, involving both citizens and resident associations. The Citizens’ Eyes Portal is proposed as a structured platform to achieve this oversight.

B. Mechanism of the Portal

Layers of Complaints

The portal will accommodate two categories of complaints:

• Periodic Audits – conducted systematically by resident associations.

• Ad Hoc Complaints – submitted directly by individual citizens.

C. How it Works

(a) Periodic Audits

1. Resident associations will conduct regular audits within their housing estates.

2. These audits provide structured, comprehensive data, enabling councils to address issues systematically rather than reactively.

(b) Ad Hoc Complaints

1. Individual citizens may lodge complaints directly. The process must remain simple and accessible. Instead of requiring detailed addresses, the portal will allow photo uploads with GPS tagging.

2. These complaints serve as the “public eyes,” enabling councils to identify and respond to issues promptly.

D. Follow-Up and Escalation Framework

1. All complaints are logged in the portal for council review.

2. If unresolved after one week, the council heads of departments are formally alerted. The following week, the Mayor or Council presidents will be alerted.

3. If unresolved after three weeks, the local state assembly person and his local councillor is notified. State exco may raise funding needs at this stage.

4. If unresolved after six weeks, the Member of Parliament is alerted.

5. If unresolved after the seventh  week, escalation continues to the Minister, Deputy Prime Minister, and ultimately the Prime Minister.

This escalation framework ensures accountability at every level and prevents prolonged neglect of public concerns.

Each time a problem is escalated it can be handled by one person assigned to the job. At the same time if the desk officer or Minister’s special officer fails to alert the minister, the minister should also be given the access to the monitoring system.

The complainant will also be able to monitor the progress. 

E. Benefits

1. The portal provides a transparent monitoring mechanism for local councils, elected representatives, and state executives. It can serve as an evaluative tool influencing the promotion of mayors or council presidents and heads of departments.

2. Visibility of complaints creates constructive pressure on all parties, ensuring systematic resolution.

3. Time wasted on lengthy official complaint letters is reduced, while service delivery is maximized.

4. Public visibility replaces the role once played by Metro desks in newspapers, ensuring issues remain in the public domain.

5. The portal can complement or extend the existing SISPAA system, offering a more dynamic, citizen-driven approach.

F. Conclusion

The Citizens’ Eyes Portal represents a modern, structured, and participatory approach to monitoring local government performance. By combining systematic audits with citizen-driven complaints, and by embedding a clear escalation framework, the portal ensures accountability, transparency, and improved service delivery. It empowers citizens, strengthens governance, and restores confidence in the effectiveness of local councils.

Postscript: 

1. Citizen’s eyes is a common name that was used from 25 to 30 years ago. However, I do not remember exactly how it was designed to be used but I believe it also uses the idea of involving citizens to provide feedback to the local authority.

2. About 18 years ago, I came up with the idea of this portal and has since been talking about it. My prototype was just a website design parked in one of my contacts’ website.

3. After drafting this blogpost, I was searching the Internet for a picture to be used, and I found that there are many other countries that have already adopted the same idea; therefore, I’m happy that this is not the first time the idea didn’t been suggested, but has already been implemented in the number of countries. Although that I may a be originally done by me separately from what is already there in the world, I do not claim to come up with the original idea, but I hope that the government will take this into consideration the implement in Malaysia.