AMID the looming Kuala Kubu Baharu (KKB) by-election slated for May 11, one wonders how coincidental it would be for Housing and Local Government Minister Nga Kor Ming to unveil a RM5.21 mil allocation for Hulu Selangor residents and to justify his ‘gift” as “not an election sweetener”.
Whether the action of the vice-chairman of DAP which has been a three-term incumbent in the state constituency can be attributed to the “ong” (auspicious) factor per se as he claimed, netizens are teasing such action as “good old BN (Barisan Nasional) style” and “spread the sweeteners/goodies before polling day”.
No wonder hashtags of “@SPRMMalaysia”, “@PDRMsia” and “@bersih” have been mooted by netizens in the comment section of social media platforms which covered his RM5.21 mil allocation for the Hulu Selangor parliamentary constituency in which KKB is one of the three state constituencies (apart from Hulu Bernam and Batang Kali).
“It’s not just because of the by-election. We chose this area because it’s an auspicious place. The feng shui here is good,” Nga told reporters yesterday (April 18).
“However, with nominations for the by-election set for the following Saturday (April 27) and as a Malaysian who loves this country, I call on all voters to come back to visit their families and vote for a party that is good, caring and progressive.”
The Teluk Intan MP had earlier announced 14 projects worth RM4.82 mil which will be carried out by the Hulu Selangor Municipal Council and village community management council.
Specifically for KKB, the funds will be used to upgrade food stalls and public toilets as well as to re-surface roads. Similar works will be carried out in Bukit Beruntung, Rasa and Batang Kali. They will also be utilised for New Villages in the area.
Additionally, the minister also contributed RM10,000 to the volunteer fire brigade in KKB and RM127,050 for upgrading works of the Sri Sithi Vinayagar temple.
The Housing and Local Government Ministry likewise approved a contribution of RM250,000 to Persatuan Penganut Dewa Siaw Kong dan Dewi Lee Ma to repair its house of worship.
“This is part of the RM50 mil in financial aid channelled by the unity government to non-Muslim houses of worship nationwide,” added Nga. – April 19, 2024
Main image credit: Free Malaysia Today
