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| Strengths and weaknesses of Selangor state government Posted: 01 Apr 2013 07:14 PM PDT
Therefore, even though some areas of Selangor has been highly urbanised, there might be changes to some voters' good feeling for Pakatan Rakyat due to livelihood problems. Whether Pakatan Rakyat can retain Selangor or not, it depends on the tug of war between livelihood problems and incorruptibility. Lim Sue Goan, Sin Chew Daily Former Finance Minister Tun Daim Zainuddin believes that the BN could retain Putrajaya while wrestling Selangor and Kedah from Pakatan Rakyat. As a resident of Selangor who has experienced both the BN and Pakatan Rakyat state administrations, I think I can express some views on it. The Pakatan Rakyat governance has its strengths and weaknesses. It is less corrupted, but at the same time, has too many livelihood problems. If the Pakatan Rakyat loses Selangor, I think the main reason is because the state and local governments have failed to solve livelihood problems. The BN lost Selangor in the 2008 general election because of corruption and other factors. On 6 December 2010, former Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Dr Mohd Khir Toyo was charged with graft. Winning Selangor was a pleasant surprise for Pakatan Rakyat and whether it can retain the state regime, it depends on the governance ability. Menteri Besar Tan Sri Abdul Khalid Ibrahim was a businessman. He handles things methodically. I heard complaints from PKR members that Khalid did not give away contracts to his PKR compatriots. If Khalid was involved in corruption, the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) would have taken actions against him. Instead, former MACC head Datuk Seri Ahmad Said Hamdan has issued an apology to Khalid for his statement claiming that the MACC had evidence to show that Khalid abused his powers over the maintenance of his personal car and over the purchase of 46 cows for a Hari Raya Aidiladha event for the Bandar Tun Razak parliamentary constituency. Incorruptibility is the greatest asset of Khalid to retain Selangor. However, I also heard that the Selangor state government is not business-friendly. Some said it is difficult to get approval for projects while some said that the state government has followed rules and regulations very strictly. It is hard to say who is more accurate but for sure, many livelihood problems have surfaced since Pakatan Rakyat took over the state. Whether it is because of political confrontation or because the BN and some officials have deliberately made things difficult or created problems, the people of Selangor did not seem to have living in an advanced state over the past five years. From the delayed collection of garbage, water supply disruption, the lack of road maintenance to floods, these issues have offset the state government's various people-friendly measures. The state government has taken over garbage management from Alam Flora to save over RM50 million a year. However, many garbage contractors have not collected garbage on time or have reduced the frequency of collection, causing problems to many Selangor residents. Water supply disruption is the most painful problem. The recent water shortage was even worse than the one in 1998. It is miserable for those affected to wait until after midnight for water tankers. It is either no water, or too much water. The problem of flood is also severe, causing great losses to affected residents. Kajang had suffered massive floods in 2011 and 2012, while Klang encountered the most serious flood in history in March 2012, stranding about 100,000 people. In February this year, many areas in Puchong had been flooded, turning roads into rivers while paralysing traffic. Therefore, even though some areas of Selangor has been highly urbanised, there might be changes to some voters' good feeling for Pakatan Rakyat due to livelihood problems. Whether Pakatan Rakyat can retain Selangor or not, it depends on the tug of war between livelihood problems and incorruptibility. In addition, Selangor state government governance is not particularly rosy. Opposition leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, who is the economic adviser to the Selangor state government, should also be responsible. However, Pakatan Rakyat has an advantage, that is, Najib has not pronounced the BN's candidate for the state Menteri Besar. Khir Toyo might be one of the factors as, after all, he was selected by Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad at that time because of his "good record". The BN has been putting efforts in its attempt to reclaim Selangor. Pakatan Rakyat should integrate its resources and make a surprise move, or it would be difficult for Khalid to defend the state alone.
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| Will Kula leave his comfort zone? Posted: 01 Apr 2013 03:43 PM PDT
The spotlight is now on the Ipoh Barat MP as DAP hints at fielding the stalwart to take on MIC in Segamat. Baradan Kuppusamy, The Star NOW that DAP adviser Lim Kit Siang and political education director Liew Chin Tong have confirmed they are contesting in Johor, the spotlight is on another DAP stalwart, Ipoh Barat MP M. Kulasegaran, to head south as well and take on MIC in Segamat. Will Kulasegaran surprise everyone by leaving his comfort zone in Ipoh Barat and head to Segamat to do battle with MIC's number two, Datuk S. Subramaniam? Lim will be battling in the more risky Gelang Patah constituency while Liew is going for Kluang. For now, Kulasegaran's official stand on the matter is that he would go if the party orders him to do so because the party has done so much for him. He is prepared to leave behind a lucrative legal practice, a close-knit group of family and friends, a new house in a gated community, a party "structure" that keeps him afloat, to do battle with Subramaniam. He is prepared to risk everything and help DAP achieve its aim to turn Johor into a frontline state in Pakatan Rakyat's dream of capturing Putrajaya. "If I have to go I will go, knowing well I could lose," he told Tamil newspapers. "Segamat is a tough seat." The Perak cousins state party chairman Datuk Ngeh Koo Ham and secretary Nga Kor Ming with whom Kulasegaran has had a running battle since 2008, would be very happy to see the last of him. "We are prepared to throw a lavish goodbye party as we did for Lim last week," said an Indian supporter of the cousins. "It will be an unforgettable event for Kulasegaran," he said in jest. The other key Indian DAP leaders in Perak Buntong assemblyman A. Sivasubramaniam and Tronoh assemblyman V. Sivakumar as well as their many supporters would also be happy to be rid of him. The bad blood between Kula, as he is fondly known, and the cousins started in 2008 when he wanted to become the mayor of Ipoh and blamed the cousins for not trying hard to get the post for him. Their estrangement worsened in 2012 when the cousins fielded a team which wiped out a rival team fielded by Kulasegaran for the DAP state line-up. The tit-for-tat war between the two teams continued right up to Lim's farewell dinner last week when Kulasegaran sent out a tweet, challenging the cousins to take him on. On the night of the dinner, however, they appeared friendly and seemed to put aside their differences to send off the boss. The question is whether Kulasegaran will do his many rivals a favour by leaving for Johor. Subramaniam won the seat in 2008 with a majority of 2,971 votes against DAP's Pang Hok Liong and if Kulasegaran or any other party heavyweight is fielded, the chances of success is slim. Kulasegaran is reportedly being unwilling to take the risk because up to 45% of voters are from Felda schemes and are strong supporters of Barisan Nasional. He has also calculated that going against another Indian leader would anger the Indian community. They would not take too kindly to it as it would be a loss to the community if Kulasegaran or Subramaniam is defeated. "Either way, one recognised Indian leader would be sacrificed just to achieve Pakatan's foolhardy dream," said an Indian pensioner. "Kula should not go to Johor," he added. This kind of thinking was one consideration that the late DAP leader, P. Patto, had to battle when he took on former MIC president Datuk Seri S. Samy Vellu in the Sungai Siput constituency in 1995. The Patto-Samy Vellu fight is a lesson often cited by Indian observers who want as many Indian MPs as possible in Parliament, irrespective of party affliliation. A DAP insider was confident that DAP would not order Kula to go because this would work against the interest of the Lim dynasty, referring to elder Lim and his son and secretary-general, Guan Eng. "They need in-fighting and squabbles in state DAPs and ordering Kula to Johor removes one source of disunity in Perak," he said. "They often use chaos as a strategy to manage and control their party." He also said they needed Kulasegaran in Perak to question the cousins and keep them and their minions in check. "This will keep the cousins from growing and prevent them from forming alliances with other state DAP warlords and threatening the father-son dynasty," he said. If this is true, Kulasegaran appears to be staying put in Ipoh Barat and Subramaniam is unlikely to face a DAP heavyweight in Segamat. But there could be other DAP heavyweights who might want to do battle with Subramaniam in Segamat.
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