Pakatan will not be corruption free, says Surendran
(The Edge) – In a spell of refreshing honesty, PKR vice president and Padang Serai candidate N. Surendran admitted that Pakatan Rakyat members were fallible and will make mistakes if they were to assume the federal seat of power.
“I will never say Pakatan will be corruption free,” he told .
“There will always be bad hats. We are not perfect and we are not angels.
“We are just ordinary human beings trying to make a difference. We are fallible, I am sure we are going to make mistakes,” the lawyer added.
However, he said, the striking difference between Pakatan and Barisan Nasional (BN) is the opposition coalition’s commitment to challenge the status quo in the nation and free it from the shackles of an inhibited system.
“The difference between us and BN is that we are committed to free Malaysia – abolish all draconian laws – giving the people of this country a real voice in the running of government, to make sure the people are the boss and uplift the economy,” he said.
“That is the core principle that PAS, PKR and DAP share.”
The fight for Padang Serai
Surendran is up for a five-cornered fight in vying for the Padang Serai Parliamentary seat. The constituency has 74,245 voters. Malays constitute 55.5% or 41,223 voters, Chinese make up 21.4% (15,925 voters) and Indians comprise 16,736 voters (22.5%).
He views his main opponent as Wanita MCA vice-chairperson Datuk Heng Seai Kie and does not see Berjasa’s Hamidi Abu Hassan, as well as independents Othman Wawi and incumbent N Gobalakrishnan as threats.
Gobalakrishnan – a former MIC youth leader – had quit PKR in 2011 to become an independent saying he lost faith in the party leadership.
The constituency is stifled by abject poverty, with a majority of Malays and Indians unable to break free from the cycle of poverty.
“When you go to a semi-rural area such as Padang Serai, it (poverty) hits you like a blow in the face.
“Everybody is earning RM1,000, RM900, RM800 and there are so many children. There seems to be no future for them. They can’t get out of it,” Surendran said.
He said lack of access to good education is the crux of cyclical poverty.
“Parents cannot afford good education so children grow up with lack of education and they end up in menial jobs or low-skilled labour.
“One example is a 71-year-old Malay gentleman who has worked in a factory all his life and he can’t walk properly.
“He can’t get aid from the Welfare Department because they say he’s got two children he can depend on. But his two adult children earn RM600 and RM700 respectively,” he added.
Surendran has been serving Padang Serai for two years, gauging the woes of the people and helping out where he can. He is self-deprecating, saying his help is minimum and at an ad-hoc basis.
“These cases range from applying for aid from Welfare Department to sorting out identification documents like red identity cards and birth certificates,” he added.
Surendran thinks winning the Parliament seat is the real ticket to helping Padang Serai in placing a voice in the halls of power, verbalising the people’s woes.
He said Pakatan’s policies encapsulated in its manifesto will be able to stymie poverty.
Free education, affordable housing, reduction in the price of goods and the abolition of tolls are all policies that would be able to address poverty but he emphasised that a national policy is the crucial panacea.
He said the federal government has largely ignored dealing with the root cause of poverty and in fact, have been denying there is a serious problem.
“The government has been cooking the books saying there is only 1.7% poverty in the country. It would make us the most poverty-less country on Earth.
“It is absurd. Japan has a poverty rate of 15.7%,” Surendran said, adding Pakatan’s estimate places the national poverty rate at 19%.
He also said another major problem is the lack of a municipal council in the constituency which could potentially change the fate of its residents.
“The area has no town centre. It shares it with Kulim. There is also no local council which affects delivery of services, subsequently affecting investments.
“Investment into Padang Serai would increase wealth and well-being of the people,” he added.
Of opponents and weaknesses
On his candidature, Surendran said he is confident of winning the seat judging by the reception he receives from the locals.
He does not see a tendency to be perceived as an upper-class Indian to be factored in as a weakness.
“I have been working on ground issues since 1998, taking up the people’s issues. People see me as someone who they can come to with their problems.
“I speak fluent Tamil. There were some false statements circulated by political opponents that I can’t speak fluent Tamil when I was appointed as party vice president.
“When it was found I could speak fluent Tamil, then it was no longer an issue,” he said.
He said his main opponent’s (Heng) weakness, is the party and coalition she is affiliated with, which impedes her potential to implement change.
“From the word go, she’s already tied down, she can’t move. MCA has hardly any say in the BN government; it has lost public support; and it is constrained by BN’s system.
“The BN system is apathetic to the people’s concerns and it favours the rich cronies.
“As an individual I have nothing against her. But if she wants to make a real difference, I think she’s in the wrong party and coalition,” he said with a grin.
He was caught off-guard when asked about his weakness and gave three separate answers at different times.
“I think it is the lack of time to visit the people in Padang Serai, to get into the centre of it.”
His second response: “They say I’m a bit too idealistic. People say it is a weakness.”
Finally, he said: “It is for someone else to say, I leave it up to the people.”
