INTERVIEW | R Yuneswaran was one of the first-time MPs who swept into office during the 15th general election.
Having grown up in the Klang Valley, he moved to Johor as a teenager and now finds himself facing the challenges of being Segamat MP.
The seat was first held by Sardon Jubir, who was in the cabinet for 15 years before becoming Penang governor.
MCA president Lee San Choon, long-time MIC deputy president, the late S Subramaniam and his namesake, former health minister Dr S Subramaniam also held the seat before Edmund Santhara breached the BN fortress in the historic 2018 polls.
Santhara was one of the Sheraton Move defectors who contributed to the fall of the Pakatan Harapan administration and this understandably sullied his reputation among many voters.
As his former campaign manager, Yuneswaran, 37, suddenly found himself in the spotlight when he was asked to run.
“I was Santhara’s election director in 2018 and also the Johor PKR Youth chief. I have been with the party for around 15 years but it was not easy.
“When you do what he did, people call you a traitor. They also lose faith in the party and the process when they vote for change, only for the MP to change sides.
“Some had mixed feelings, saying he had some things to improve Segamat but others also criticised him for being away in New Zealand during the Covid-19 pandemic and in fact, he even filed a defamation lawsuit against (Batu MP) P Prabakaran on that matter.
“Looking at what happened, I think even if he had contested, I would have won. Santhara didn’t contest so it shows he wasn’t that confident,” Yuneswaran told Malaysiakini.
Ultimately, Yuneswaran won by a comfortable margin of 5,669 votes over MIC’s M Ramasamy, with Perikatan Nasional’s P Poobalan trailing in third and a Pejuang candidate losing his deposit.
Initially, he did not expect to better Santhara’s winning margin in 2018.
“It was difficult as Ramasamy was the MIC treasurer and financially strong. However, I decided not to think about my opponents and just focused on what we could do to win.
“Another challenge was that I have done work serving people on the ground but that was in Tebrau, not Segamat.
“Suddenly the party president (Anwar Ibrahim) called and asked me to contest here. It was not long after the Johor state election, where we had done very poorly, so we assumed that this would be worse but I managed to win the seat for the party,” recalled Yuneswaran.
Flood and other challenges in Segamat
Considering the challenges facing Segamat, Yuneswaran couldn’t help but question what his illustrious predecessors had been doing for the area during their tenure.
He mentioned that flooding has been a problem for generations in the northern region of Johor - from Muar to Tangkak and Segamat.
“We have badly needed mitigation for years and I do wonder what the previous big names who represented Segamat have been doing all along. Were they so busy being a minister that they didn’t bring development?” he asked.
“Fortunately, we managed to convince the prime minister to approve RM600 million for this.
“Kota Tinggi, Segamat and Batu Pahat will be given priority to implement mitigation plans for floods as the three districts are prone to floods following continuous rain. Right now, the land acquisition stage is ongoing, but we have been given the assurance that the process will be expedited.
“We really need to improve the infrastructure in this part of Johor. In a way, part of the region was bypassed during the development of the North-South highway. From Tangkak to Segamat we have only one road and we must make it wider,” said Yuneswaran.
He also highlighted the Gemas-Johor Bahru electrified double-tracking rail project, which is to be completed by 2025.
It includes 192 kilometres of track and 11 stops, travelling through four major districts in Johor - including Segamat, Kluang, Kulai and Johor Bahru - before concluding at JB Sentral.
“Once we solve this infrastructure issue, I believe a lot of investment will come into the area. Segamat district is an agricultural zone but right now, job opportunities for younger people are a big problem, so a lot of people migrate out of Segamat, mainly to Singapore or KL.
“When the double-track railway station is complete, in one to two years, people can commute every day and it will make a huge difference to the area,” he added.
Another area of concern was poverty, where Yuneswaran cited that the Welfare Department spends RM1.9 million monthly in northern Johor to sustain the poor.
“There are many factors that we need to help address. I’m hoping that the Padu (Central DataBase) system will play its part in helping poor individuals,” he said.
Humble beginnings
Yuneswaran said that he identifies very much with the struggles of ordinary Malaysians as his move from the Klang Valley to Johor at the age of 16 was prompted by poverty.
“Poverty is the reason that I moved (to Johor), as my brother was working in Singapore, and it was the best way for the family,” said Yuneswaran, who is the fourth of five siblings.
He attended the Sin Min Chinese School in Sungai Besar, Selangor and completed secondary school at SMK Desa Cemerlang (Ulu Tiram), Johor. He eventually obtained an MBA through the Anglia Ruskin University.
The first-term MP joined PKR in 2008 and was the first person to be prosecuted under the Peaceful Assembly Act 2012 for organising the Blackout 505 rally in Johor in 2013.
“Being able to speak four languages has certainly been a big advantage in reaching out to the people,” he said, adding that he considered it a collective responsibility for Malaysians to work to uplift each other.
“All of us have the same responsibility for a common purpose. We should be able to share prosperity. I am a very proud Malaysian,” he said.
Touching on his interests, the still-single Yuneswaran said: “I’m a guitarist and love to read books that enhance knowledge like the book of Chanakya, written by a Tamil strategist.
“I love Ilayaraja’s music (Indian composer), Elvis Presley and Bob Marley,” he said with a laugh. - Mkini
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