KUALA LUMPUR, Feb. 1 -- Putrajaya has taken a tentative step toward reviving the long-dormant debate on local government elections in Kuala Lumpur, with a two-month study now underway for the city, Minister in the Prime Minister's Department (Federal Territories) Hannah Yeoh told StarMetro yesterday.

Yeoh said the research, commissioned by the Federal Territories Department, will be made public once completed so "the people of Kuala Lumpur" can review the findings before any "next steps" are discussed.

The study comes amid renewed calls for more democratic oversight of Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL), which has been run by appointed officials since local elections were suspended in the 1960s.

As a stopgap, Yeoh said all Kuala Lumpur MPs ...