WITH Perikatan Nasional (PN) now having wrestled 22 seats in Selangor thus denying the Pakatan Harapan-Barisan Nasional (PH-BN) alliance of its two-thirds majority, it is high time for the coalition to play the checks-and-balance role effectively if indeed it wants to be a formidable alterative bloc.
PH has been having a good time pushing through its own agenda rather than listening to the voices of the people. With the exception of former DAP veteran, Ronnie Liu, backbenchers and the Opposition members were relatively silent over a number of issues.
Among them are issues pertaining to the PJD-Link, logging in forest reserve lands, mega projects which benefit only certain quarters, stray animals and poor governance.
The bulk of the issues which are local government-related such as potholes, illegal carwash and hawkers, poor street lighting, flash floods, illegal dumps, poor maintenance of public amenities are major sore points for the people on a daily basis.
The Opposition will have to put their ears on the ground to hear people’s grouses and speak on their behalf at the state assembly. A number of blogs are available to familiarise themselves with the issues faced by voters.
For example, Selangor Scheiss, IT Scheiss, Politi Scheiss, No to KiDEX and Surat Terbuka kepada YB Menteri Besar are good starting point.
Community leaders can also create chat groups and invite lawmakers from both sides so that their grouses can be heard, and ultimately, to have their issues resolved. The tendency for people to sit on their laurels is when there is no competition.
Tips for the Opposition
Former menteri besar (MB) Datuk Seri Mohamed Azmin Ali (main pic) may not be welcomed so readily in Selangor but if he plays his role well in Selangor to address the people’s sore points with the state, he may turn the tide around by the next general election.
Some MUDA candidates were starting to receive support from voters when they harped on the people’s issues.
However, most of the electorate were unwilling at the eleventh hour to split the votes because urban voters still want Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim as Prime Minister.
Hence, all the more Anwar should be on the ground with the people as much as possible while his people craft the plans for the nation under his guidance.
Honeymoon for PH in Selangor is long over. Its state EXCO can no longer ignore the voices of the people.
Having a few thousand people attending a fundraising dinner does not mean anything especially when businesspeople are more than willing to support in terms of buying the dinner tables.
But choosing not to come down to the ground when there are complaints and not resolving issues at hands is a big mistake for some of its elected representative. It is like a time bomb waiting to explode.
If the Opposition keeps itself clean from the 3Rs + 1C (race, religion, royalty and corruption) – and is able to frequently get down to the ground to listen to people’s grouses – they will receive a very strong support.
While they know that the Opposition has no power to seek allocations, they are at least happy that their voices are represented in the state assembly.
Another term post 2027?
If PH wants another five-year term beyond 2027, its lawmakers must learn from UMNO member who is now the Johor Menteri Besar Datuk Onn Hafiz Ghazi.
It is no wonder that he was favoured by the palace as the new MB. Since becoming the MB, Onn Hafiz has always been seen on Tik Tok going on the ground to try to solve people’s grouses.
Anything from the traffic congestion at the causeway to the potholes on the road, Onn Hafiz showed the bulk of his work is on the ground where people come first.
If PH-BN wants to win another election in 2027, its state EXCO needs to be a new set of people who will go down to the ground to solve people’s problems instead of being evasive, aloof and unwilling to rock the boat until the issue become too big to handle.
As it is, PN has won 146 out of 245 seats. Many of these votes are protest from the ground. If PH and BN still do not listen to the people’s grouses, it may lose more seats to the Opposition in the next. – Aug 13, 2023
