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Johoreans share their wishes of what the new Menteri Besar should do
Independent candidates say they have no plans to join any party
Change is needed to move forward

Johoreans share their wishes of what the new Menteri Besar should do

Posted: 12 May 2013 07:37 PM PDT

JOHOR BARU: Johoreans from all walks of life are all hyped up for a new Mentri Besar as they shared their hopes for Johor under the new guidance.

Former Higher Education Minister Datuk Seri Mohamed Khaled Nordin is expected to be sworn in as the state's new mentri besar.

Many are pinning their hopes that the new leader will not just continue to grow the state's economy but also look into the people problems and help ease their burdens.

F&B outlet worker, Mariam Mohd Sumian, 27, expects the new Mentri Besar to enhance the lifestyle of Johoreans and look into the rising cost of living here.

"My age is catching up and I hope to purchase my own house soon but with the rising prices of house, I still cannot afford one," she said adding that she hoped that more affordable homes would be made available and easily accessible.

For student Austin Hoo Kai Jie, 17, the next Mentri Besar should be more in touch and in tune with the needs of the younger generation.

"I love sports and lately I have been into cycling, but I soon realised that there were barely any cycling lanes around housing estates in Johor.

"I really hope that the mentri besar will look into such the safety issue for Johoreans to live a healthy lifestyle," he added.

Teacher J. Doris, 45, hoped that the new mentri besar would look into the complexity of the current education system in the state.

"As a parent to a 14-year-old, I am still unsure of the language that is supposed to be used in schools for subjects such as Mathematics and Science.

"In my son's school, the Malay language is used for those subjects but in the school that my nephew studies, who is also 14 years, the English language is used instead," she said.

She added that the dual language system confuses not only the parents but the students as well, and made it even hard for students from different schools to share their knowledge.

"I am still confused as to who has the right to pick the language they should be learning in, whether the parents, teachers or the students themselves," she questioned adding that she hoped that the guidelines to the system should be made clearer.

Taxi driver, R. Subramaniam, 57, hopes that the new Mentri Besar would look into the improving public transportation and the infrastructure especially in the town areas.

"The main roads need improvement and I hope that our new Mentri Besar will come up with policies to improve the schedule of busses that ply through the area," he said.

Subramaniam said that another major concern that needed to be addressed was with regards to street crime.

"I notice that many people prefer to use taxis even for short distance trips nowadays because they are so afraid that they will be victims of snatch thieves or muggings," he said.

Cashier, Khatijah Sabari, 18, hopes that more modern art related programmes would be organised after the new mentri besar is appointed.

"The young people in Johor want more international acts to be brought in for concerts, plays and musicals.

"We do not have many avenues to explore our talents and more should be done instead of just focussing on traditional dances," she said hoping that the new mentri besar would be an approachable and friendly person.

Independent candidates say they have no plans to join any party

Posted: 12 May 2013 07:38 PM PDT

JOHOR BARU: Independent candidates who lost in the GE13 are committed to serve their local communities as they firmly believe that they could be the "voice of the rakyat".

This is the first time Johor has had eight independents contesting in a general election.

However all of them lost their deposits.

Mohd Azaman Johari, 46, who was defeated by Barisan Nasional candidate Datuk Seri Azalina Othman Said for the Pengerang parliamentary seat, plans to establish a non-government organisation (NGO) in the constituency.

He said the proposed NGO would act as a watchdog for developments which would take place in Pengerang to transform the area into a new an oil and gas hub (O&G) in the region.

"I am not against progress and development but they must be done holistically and not sideline the masses in the process," Mohd Azaman told StarMetro.

The former school teacher of 22 years garnered 795 votes in the three-cornered fight, while another candidate Tengku Intan Tengku Abdul Hamid of PKR received 4,488 votes.

He said the NGO would assist the locals affected by the multi-billion ringgit O&G hub in the area including those whose lands were acquired for the project.

Mohd Azaman added that the NGO would not take side by supporting either Barisan or Pakatan Rakyat but would educate Pengerang people on their rights as Malaysians.

"I have no plans to join any political parties as what I see today, certain parties have produced extremists and fail in championing the people," he added.

Apart from setting up the NGO, Mohd Azman would also venture into the food-related business this year by setting up a company involving in producing frozen food products and offering catering services.

Another independent candidate Surendiran Kuppayah, 42, also concurred with Mohd Azaman and has no intentions to join any political parties.

The businessman said by joining a political party, his hands would be tied and he would have to abide by its rules and regulations.

"As an independent, I would have freedom to do my duties as I am not answerable to the party's leadership," said Surendiran who contested in the Kulai parliamentary.

He received 238 votes and lost to Teo Niew Ching from DAP who garnered 43,338 votes, while Tay Chin Hein of Barisan received 29,888 votes.

Surendiran also contested in the Bukit Batu state seat where he received 177 votes, the seat was won by PKR's Jimmy Phuan Wee Tse with 11,676 votes and Barisan's Cheong Chin Liang scored 7,661 votes.

Despite getting only 238 votes, Surendiran said he was "still the winner" as he did not have election machinery teams unlike his two contenders.

"I am going to closely watch the performance of Teo who was a former incumbent of the Serdang seat in Selangor who is now the Kulai MP," Surendiran said adding that she failed to do her duties there and decided to come to Johor.

He said Kulai people did not need a representative who moved from one place to another in every general election just for her political survival but instead they need a local who would stay put in the district.

Off all the independent contestants contesting in Johor, Ho Eng Wah was the only one who had set-up a service centre in the Johor Jaya to serve voters in the area.

The businessman who contested in the Johor Jaya state seat received 177 votes; the seat was won by Liow Cai Tung of Dap with 22,879 votes while Barisan's Tan Cher Puk garnered 21,419 votes.

Ho could not be reached at press time for comments as he was away in Vietnam and would on be back to Malaysia on Tuesday.

Change is needed to move forward

Posted: 12 May 2013 07:40 PM PDT

PERMAS assemblyman Datuk Seri Mohamed Khaled Nordin is set to be sworn in as the state's 14th Mentri Besar tomorrow.

The 55-year-old is expected to be sworn in before the Johor Ruler Sultan Ibrahim Sultan Iskandar in a ceremony at the Bangunan Sultan Ibrahim in Bukit Timbalan.

The state's 10 executive council members are also expected to take their oaths together at the same ceremony.

Khaled has already met and taken an oath in front of Tunku Mahkota of Johor Tunku Ismail Sultan Ibrahim on Friday, in keeping with Johor tradition before being sworn in before the Sultan.

Khaled will replace Datuk Abdul Ghani Othman, who had served as Johor Mentri Besar for 18 years since 1995.

Speculation is rife that the new mentri besar is expected to announce a mix of old and new faces in the state line-up.

Most will be new faces as only four incumbent exco members contested and won in GE13.

They are Datuk Maulizan Bujang (Tiram), Asiah Ariff (Johor Lama), M. Asojan (Gambir) and Md Jais Sarday (Mahkota).

Barisan sources said one of Khaled's major concerns was the two positions usually reserved for MCA.

MCA only won in two seats out of the 16 state seats it had contested in GE13.

The seats won are Pulai Sebatang by MCA national organising secretary Datuk Tee Siew Kiong and Paloh by newcomer Teoh Yap Kun.

"If MCA does not take up the posts, then Pemanis candidate Lau Chin Hoon may be asked to step in even though Gerakan has never been in the state line-up," said a source.

The source pointed out that there were three scenarios including leaving the MCA position vacant, offer the post to a prominent Chinese from Johor who is a non-politician to help bring up the community's woes at the Government level or just giving the Chinese one position instead of the two in the past.

Talk is also rife that MIC's R. Vidyananthan, who is a third-term assemblyman, may also be considered for an exco position following his improved majority in the Kahang state seat in GE13.

"The component list for the state exco is usually given by the respective party presidents," a source said.

Other Umno leaders that could make it as excos include Md Jais Sarday, Asiah Ariff, Adam Sumiru, Abd Mutalib Abd Rahim, Latiff Bandi, Zulkurnain Kamisan and Dr Adham Baba.

Johor used to be a Barisan Nasional fortress, but with the opposition making huge inroads into the state in GE13, the new MB and his team of exco's will have to change their game-plan and work hard to dispel and counter the opposition attacks.

Although Barisan with 38 assemblymen still governs the state with its traditional two-thirds majority, they are only one seat away from losing that grip.

The new state leadership will need to be vocal as now there will be 18 opposition state assemblymen in the state assembly (13 DAP, 4 PAS and 1 PKR).

This includes the 27-year-old Liow Cai Tung from DAP who is the youngest assemblywoman from Johor Jaya.

"It is going to be noisy at the assembly and people are going to be watching the way Barisan including the Mentri Besar and his exco debate and govern the state," the sources said.

The old style of politics by Ghani, who rarely had press conferences and shied away from national and state issues hoping that it would "die down" would have to change.

The state leadership should also be proactive and must be quick to counter the allegations or accusations from the opposition instead of taking it as "lame ducks".

Excos should also be given the mandate and powers to make announcements involving their portfolios.

Johor Indian Business Association president P. Sivakumar said Khaled should listen to the woes of those living in the cities especially with regard to housing.

"It is so expensive to live in Johor Baru these days.

"There is no point in building public housing for the poor in the outskirts where there is no bus or taxi service," he added.

Sivakumar cited as an example a disab- led woman who was finally given a flat after fighting for many months in Johor Baru but her unit was on the forth four with no lift service.

"How will a disabled woman on a wheel-chair get to the forth floor of her house with no lift services?," he questioned.

He added that when he called the state housing unit, he was disappointed that the official was not sympathetic to the woman's plight.

It is time for the state government to crack the whip on such "little Napoleons" in the state government services who give the government a bad name.

Other pressing issues in major towns include helping to solve the bread and butter issues affecting the people including rising cost of living, building more affordable housing, coming out with more programmes to engage youths, safety and crime issues and better public transportation.

Local councils will also need to buck up to ensure better cleanliness, better amenities and proper infrastructure including roads.

Agencies running and developing Iskandar Malaysia will also be under closer scrutiny from now onwards especially with the opposition making inroads in every parliamentary constituency within the growth corridor in Johor Baru, Kulai, Pontian, Tebrau, Pulai and Gelang Patah.

Khaled, who is regarded as a no-nonsense guy with his own style of leadership, will definitely have to formulate clear policies to benefit all Johoreans to ensure Barisan continues to maintain a grip of the state.

Kredit: www.thestar.com.my

Isnin, 13 Mei 2013