Selangor - the killing field in GE-13?

It is Prime Minister Najib Razak's intention to defend Putrajaya at all cost and it is also his intention to recapture Selangor using whatever means.

When he was in charge of Perak UMNO, the Pakatan Rakyat state government fell to the BN's 'greedy' grasp. Now the PM has been personally in charge of Selangor UMNO for nearly two years. But nothing has happened since the controversial death of political officer Teoh Beng Hock.

Time waits for neither man or woman. This means that there is nothing BN won't do to get back Selangor, whether by fair means or foul. And Najib himself - to his everlasting discredit - has indicated as much.

BN's 'Selamatkan Selangor' or 'Save Selangor' programme drew little support among the masses, and to patch that, BN has come up with their own Selangor newspaper called'Selangor Terkini' which seems to be a plagiarisation of the Pakatan state government's 'Selangorkini'.

But what about Selangor Pakatan Rakyat? How determined are they to defend their state and what needs to be done?

Best way - make a real difference to the poor and the masses

So far, the best deed from the Pakatan Selangor government has been to look after the low-income groups. And this, they must continue to do even if they have to work round the clock.

It is difficult even for the most hardened of BN supporters to deny that Mentri Besar Khalid Ibrahim had inherited a hornets' nest of prickly and deeply-ingrained problems from BN's Khir Toyo. But resolve these, Khalid and his team must, or lose the state in the 13th General Election.

First of all, the well-being of those who seek their living from the toil of their sweat and brow, such as the fishermen and the farmers. Any increase in diesel prices implemented by the federal government will impact on the deep-sea fishing cottage industries.

The paddy farmers too are not getting as much profits as they deserve, despite the fact that Selangor Umno bigwig Noh Omar is the minister for Agriculture and Agro-based Industries. Noh, the BN MP for Tanjung Karang, has been frequently accused of ignoring the plight of farmers.

Housing and crime rate

Next is the problem of abandoned housing projects. These are a dime a dozen in Selangor and the Khalid administration is doing its best to solve the problem although it may take a long time. There are many in the civil service who still feel obliged to BN and will tend to hamper Pakatan's efforts at each turn.

Another major problem in Selangor is the crime rate. Pakatan's suggestion to set up an Auxiliary Police Force has been rejected by Home Minister Hishammuddin Hussein.

The high crime rate in Selangor is due mainly to the massive influx of foreign workers - both illegal as well as legal - who often get into fights and crimes-of-passion, besides indulging in criminal activities such as snatch thefts, muggings, robberies and burglaries.

To an extent the federal government who panders to the whims and demands of the employers is to be blamed. These employers tend to prefer hiring cheaper unskilled foreign labour, in the process also victimising the locals who need jobs.

Water, state land and financial aid

The water issue is another hot topic as the Selangor government has been locked in a tussle for control with the Umno-backed SYABAS on the water rights issue. Najib's federal government has warned that Selangor and Federal Territory could face a water shortage in 2014, indirectly imputing fault to the Pakatan administration.

In return, Pakatan officials have lambasted the federal government for duplicity and intentionally hindering a revamp of the industry so as to protect SYABAS, whose boss is Rozali Ismail, the Treasurer of Selangor Umno.

Selangor state executive councilor and Bukit Lanjan assemblywoman Elizabeth Wong, who successfully launched the landmark Freedom of Information Bill, is now trying hard to return state land which originally belonged to theOrang Asli or indigenous people back to them.

Other programmes to help the poor and the low-income group also come in the form of monetary aid.

One of these is the micro-credit scheme to help those who want to set up a small business. Death of a family member aged 60 and above also entitles the surviving kin to obtain RM2,500 to tide over the funeral expenses. And those who use 20 cubic metres of water or less each month, they are entitled to free water.

Special mention must also be made in regards to the Indians who have benefitted a lot from Pakatan. Much land has been allocated to them for schools and temples with funds also being provided to run these facilities.

Their lot is much better now compared to their time under the BN administration led by Khir Toyo. Nonetheless, the plight of the marginalised Indians is too huge a problem to be solved within a short period of time and much work must still be done by Khalid and team.

Khalid has to stay alert

Even so, there is no time for MB Khalid to rest on his laurels. Selangor is under constant bombardment from its foes.

A recent example is the selection of Khusrin Munawi as the Selangor State Secretary by the federal government, bypassing Khalid and the Sultan. This move reveals that BN intends to play a fast and deadly game.

The recent revelation by PKR MP for Ampang, Zuraida Kamaruddin, that there were attempts to grant citizenships to large numbers of foreign workers in exchange for their votes shows that this could just be the tip of the iceberg.

According to Ng Suee Lim, DAP assemblyman for Sekinchan, Zuraida's revelation has raised the alarm for the Pakatan lawmakers. Just a day ago, the PAS-led Kelantan government also found documentary evidence of a smilar citizenship-for-votes in their state.

For Pakatan to retain Selangor, the federal agencies must be neutral. These include the Election Commission and the National Registration Department.

"These two agencies can help BN to grab Selangor if they work in tandem and successfully register all the foreign workers as Malaysian citizens. All they need to do next is to insert their names into the voter rolls undetected by us," Ng told Malaysia Chronicle.

Although Pakatan leaders have logded numerous police reports on alleged election improprieties, these continue to happen, with the police unwilling to begin investigations.

Ng also said Pakatan has done much for Selangor but all these efforts have been blanked out by the mainstream media. But the Selangor people know, said Ng, adding that the only way for BN to recapture Selangor, is for them to resort to "dirty tricks" and abuse the federal agencies like the EC and NRD to bloat up their ballots.

"Zuraida has alerted us and we will keep an eye on BN's moves. We will defend Selangor and we urge the rakyat to help us so that we can all effect real change to the state and country," said Ng. - Malaysia Chronicle