As DAP gears up for the Teluk Intan by-elections, local leaders urge voters to send a strong message of disapproval for Barisan Nasional’s governance post GE-13.
The people of Teluk Intan must rise up to the occasion and deny Barisan Nasional a win in the by-elections, said Terence Naidu, State Assemblyman for Pasir Bedamar.
“We are not happy with the way Najib Razak has been leading Malaysia, therefore we must not endorse his leadership in the Teluk Intan by-elections,” he asserted.
Terence Naidu reminded voters that a vote for Barisan Nasional is would be an endorsement of Najib’s performance since GE-13.
The rise of fuel price, GST, increase in cost of living have increased the burden of the rakyat; promises that were made by Barisan Nasional to prevent such things were broken, he said.
Also, he alluded to the people who have allowed the BN regime to have a strong hold over Malaysia longer than it deserved, explaining that it resulted from voters who did not have the country’s future in mind but indulge instead in the short term gains offered by BN. As a result, BN has had entrenched control over every aspect of the judiciary and politics in the country, he said.
“A clear message of disapproval of BN must be sent by the people to the ruling regime,” he advised, calling on the people to mandate a fairer and just leadership come this by-elections.
“Show Malaysia that we can change, and change starts in Teluk Intan,” he said.
BN’s unwillingness to solve issues in Teluk Intan
In the exclusive interview with The Rocket, the Pasir Bedamar State Assemblyman pointed out the issues faced by Teluk Intan’s residents which includes floods by the Perak river.
“Why hasn’t the government addressed the flood issue caused by a break in the dam (pic) and the bund system? ” saying also that he had worked out a cheaper solution which involves the repairing of the system instead of the government’s RM 200 million estimation. The extravagant costing proposed by the government has resulted in a halt to solve the issue of flooding holistically, he said.
Also, he highlighted that the government had revoked welfare for some residents there.
“I have people coming to me every week informing me that the welfare they have been receiving had been revoked,” adding also that the RM 150 received per month was insufficient.
“The minimum welfare allowance from the Welfare Department is RM 150 per month for disabled individuals, an additional RM 150 is offered to those who take on jobs despite their disabilities, so a lot of people out there who are unable to work would only be compensated with the basic amount,” he explained.
Terence Naidu also brought to the fore the issue of unemployment amongst Indians in Teluk Intan. Indians who have left the estates have no understanding of how to deal with the outside world tend to fall prey to gangsterism, he said.
The Pasir Bedamar State Assemblyman called out to the voters who had left the town to work elsewhere, to come back and support the opposition party as they had in GE-13,
“To our sojourners, wherever you are, you form the backbone of our [Pakatan Rakyat] supporters; and to you I plead that you sacrifice a little bit of your time to come back and vote to continue this momentum in our fight for democracy, for change and for a better Malaysia, .” -The Rocket
