As Azmin takes over, what legacy has Khalid left behind?

By admin-s Last updated Sep 29, 2014

Sheridan Mahavera, The Malaysian Insider

To get an idea of how popular and refreshing Tan Sri Abdul Khalid Ibrahim’s initial administration was, all you had to do was go to the countless ceremonies everywhere in Selangor where residents got land titles and lease renewals for only RM1,000.

The programme was how Selangor residents, particularly in rural areas, got to witness the kind of leadership and governance that Pakatan Rakyat (PR) wants to offer this country, and how better it was compared to Barisan Nasional (BN).

It is initiative like this, which Khalid started, that are being slowly forgotten as his successor and one-time nemesis, Azmin Ali, works overtime to heal the wounds that Khalid’s shock expulsion has created.

As Azmin strives to convince Selangor that the crisis was justified, it would be a good time to examine what went right in Khalid’s administration and how it went wrong.

For what cannot be denied is that Khalid’s policies helped PR win an overwhelming 44 out 56 assembly seats in Selangor. BN, which had ruled Selangor until 2008, has been reduced to a one-party coalition that gets support from the fringes.

And as Khalid exits the stage, there hangs a big question as to whether Azmin can bring a style of governance that will be better for Selangor.

What went right

Fouziah Ismail was one of thousands who would unreservedly state that her family’s future was more secure under PR than the 40 years they lived under the BN.

The 47-year-old was one of scores of families from Kampung Bukit Cherakah in Shah Alam who received land titles to their houses for RM1,000.

As reported in the Selangor government website www.selangorku.com, her family and others from the same village had for years tried unsuccessfully to get one from the previous BN administration.

Without a title, the house where her parents lived, and she now occupies, could just be taken away.

Under a property-ownership scheme, she and others throughout Selangor got land titles or had their leases renewed for a flat rate of RM1,000.

Fouziah represents the many Malay working class voters who benefited directly from the policies of Khalid’s first term. They then returned Selangor PR to the government with an even bigger mandate in 2013.

It was all part of a package of policies centred around the philosophy “hasil negeri untuk rakyat” (the state’s revenue channelled back to the people).

They ranged from broad-based subsidy schemes, such as free 20 cubic metres of water per household, to targeted handouts such as shopping vouchers for seniors and single mothers.

“These policies benefited people directly and they in turn benefited PR at the polls,” said Kampung Tunku assemblyman Lau Weng San.