Strengths and weaknesses of Selangor state government
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.
