-Dr. Kua Kia Soong, July 26, 2014.
COMMENT The news at the moment is all abuzz about the drama of changing the Selangor memberi besar. This has come about apparently because the current menteri besar has turned rogue and reneged on some Pakatan Rakyat principles.
Pakatan’s leader of convenience.
Announcing Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail as the candidate to replace Abdul Khalid Ibrahim as menteri besar, PKR supremo Anwar Ibrahim said that she was the “best person” and the “most suitable leader” for the job.
I have no doubt that Kak Wan is as capable as any other leader in the Malaysian political scene, but I am sceptical that PKR itself sees her as the “most suitable leader”. They only have to stretch their memory a little…
If we cast our minds back to July 31, 2008, when Wan Azizah (right) resigned from her Permatang Pauh parliamentary seat just so that Anwar could make a
return to politics, it was seen as the most natural thing for her to do (“because she was only warming the seat for her husband’s return…” was the standard response to her resignation).
At the time, I protested vehemently that a woman MP should not have to resign her seat for another man just so that he could make a comeback. (See Where are the principled politicians a activists? )
I suggested then that it should have been the Selangor MB Khalid Ibrahim or the Penang CM Lim Guan Eng who should have resigned, since they already had their arms full in being the state CEOs. Anyway, it is not democratic for politicians to be MPs and state assemblypersons at the same time. This was also a principle passionately supported by the late Karpal Singh.
But, as with most things political, the politicians did not have much time for such principles! CMs and MBs were indispensable! I was surprised that Malaysian feminists in Pakatan and in the NGOs did not protest either, after their constant demands for increasing the quota for women in politics and institutions.
I know what my comrade, the late Toni Kassim, would have said about this rather convenient “Men’s Candidature Initiative”!
Isn’t it an ironic twist of fate that Khalid Ibrahim is today being hounded out of office by his erstwhile comrades, who had praised him to high heaven as an awesome administrator who had managed to save RM3 billion in reserves for the state, while Kak Wan is now held as “the best person” for the job?
What changes are in store for S’gor?
Be that as it may, what changes can the people of Selangor hope to see after the deposition of Khalid and a new menteri besar is installed? These are some of the changes the people of Selangor need and expect:
1. A solution to the water crisis.
As some of the Pakatan leaders have publicly announced, another bout of water rationing is not acceptable. The Selangor state executive council has all along assured the people of Selangor that they have the water situation under control.
They cannot pin all the blame for the current water crisis on Khalid’s (left) shoulders, since they have a collective responsibility in the state government and they do have a voice!
We also need convincing that the new MB will not sell out the state in her negotiations with the private water concessionaires and pay them any more than what Khalid has offered.
Thirdly, we expect the implementation of a sustainable water supply policy that centres on responsible water demand management.
2. A solution to the Bible confiscation fiasco.
The people expect the confiscated copies of the Bibles by the Selangor Islamic Affairs Department, Jais, to be returned to their owners and an undertaking by the Selangor government that this outrage of religious modesty will never be repeated.
We also expect the 1988 Islamic amendment to be repealed and to restore the status quo ante as suggested by three Pakatan state assemblypersons when the controversy started.
3. No to Kidex.
The people of Petaling Jaya do not want the Kidex highway and since the land belongs to the state, the state government has the authority to stop the project without professing helplessness that this is a federal project.
4. No to de-gazetting of the state park.
Likewise, the people of Selangor will not allow any part of the state park to be degazetted for the Kuala Lumpur Outer Ring Road (KLORR), also known as the East Klang Valley Expressway (EKVE).
In fact, we want the Selangor state government to regazette all permanent forest reserves which have been degazetted to date.
5. A sustainable and efficient solid waste disposal system.
After Pakatan’s six years in power, we still do not see a proper sustainable solid waste disposal system synchronised with a recycling system. Uncollected rubbish remains an eyesore throughout the state.
6. Properly maintained infrastructure.
With RM3 billion in reserves, basic infrastructure such as roads, water pipes, sewerage systems and lamp posts should be systematically maintained and upgraded – but they are not.
7. An effective public transport system.
Main towns, housing estates as well as outlying areas in Selangor are in dire need of an efficient public transport system, including a good and economic bus service.
8. Provision of low-cost housing for the poor and marginalised, with adequate space for community activities, recreation and green areas.
Apart from the gross shortage of housing for the lower income families, what we witness are huge low cost housing blocks cramming thousands of residents together into tiny apartments as a recipe for future slums.
9. Better social services.
While many areas of public services such as health, education, social services and even public order are federal responsibilities, the state government can think outside the box to implement policies that can help the needy.
These expectations are at the top of our people’s basic agenda and yet they remain unresolved. The jury is out on whether a new MB will be the “best person” to turn things around when the previous “best person” wasn’t able to.
Pakatan needs to reform itself to ensure that there is democratic and collective leadership in the state government, since the protracted MB squabble is an admission that this does not exist… Will they change too?
DR KUA KIA SOONG is Suaram adviser.
