Kajang folk excited over prospect of having ‘star’ assemblyman

Opposition leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim is contesting the Kajang seat and voters there have a long list of problems they want their assemblyperson to tackle. – The Malaysian Insider pic by Hasnoor Hussain, February 2, 2014.The last time Kajang was associated with a famous politician was when former health minister Tan Sri Lee Kim Sai represented the state constituency as the Hulu Langat MP.

That was almost 20 years ago and when MCA was powerful.

This past week, Kajang residents have found out that they have the opportunity of being represented by another well-known leader, Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, who is speculated to replace Selangor Menteri Besar Tan Sri Abdul Khalid Ibrahim if the PKR de facto leader wins the by-election.

Reaction to the news has been mixed but the prospect of having the opposition leader as assemblyperson has made its way into coffee-shop talk, living rooms and places of worship: sparking excitement among the town’s residents and raising questions why Anwar has chosen this town, famed for its satay and the federal prison in Sungai Jelok.

While many in the town south of capital Kuala Lumpur express surprise over the reasons for the by-election, their conversation invariably turn to the perks of having a leader with clout.

“Kim Sai did a lot for Kajang and Hulu Langat during his three terms as MP. At least he made sure Kajang Hospital had many specialists,” said Alan Yeo, a long-time resident who expounded on the merits of a top leader as representative.

“I am sure everyone wants a menteri besar for assemblyman. The problems won’t go away the day after he is elected but at least Anwar and his officers will make an effort to address them,” the 52-year-old said, adding that the Kajang Municipal Council’s cleaning services had slackened lately.

Kajang is one of three state seats in the Hulu Langat parliamentary constituency, the others being Semenyih and Dusun Tua.

“Anwar as menteri besar will mean that a whole range of issues in the town can be settled. I am sure funds will be found to address the traffic congestion in the town and roads leading out during peak hours,” said businessman Abdul Munir.

Candidates for the Kajang by-election will stump for voters over an urbanised area covering 9,300ha during campaigning.

The network of roads is excellent and travel time from one end to the other is
about 90 minutes, without any congestion.

A drive through the constituency reveals rapid development, especially in new housing areas mushrooming at its fringes that border Kuala Lumpur and the administrative capital Putrajaya.

The town boasts two shopping complexes – Metro Kajang and Metro Point, two hypermarkets, a new headquarters for the Kajang Municipal Council and an enviable growth statistic – it has become one of Selangor's fastest-growing towns with an annual population growth of 9% and is one of the more popular residential areas in the state, according to a property website.

High-end residential areas, such as Ridgeview, Twin Palms, Sri Banyan and Jade Hills, have pushed up property prices in Kajang substantially over the past few years.

MIC Hulu Langat division chief M. Kalai Arasu said the Klang Valley’s Mass Rapid Transit system starts in Kajang and this would only add to the boom.

The 51km line snakes through the Klang Valley and ends in Sungai Buloh.

"The new MRT line will cut through the town. In Kajang itself, there will be three stops and this will expedite the town's growth and congestion in the coming years," he said.

It is also figures in the Greater Kuala Lumpur master plan because of its location between three cities – Kuala Lumpur, Seremban and Putrajaya.

Long-time resident and Sungai Chua Sector C Rukun Tetangga chairman Chen King Chong said rapid development had brought a series of problems which, he said, aspiring candidates would have to address.

"Right now, our biggest problem is traffic congestion. Because of the housing areas coming up around here, the population is increasing," Chen said.

"And this has caused roads leading in and out as well as in the town itself to be congested at almost all times. Peak hours are almost throughout the day. Sunday is no exception.”

Kajang PKR secretariat head Hamzah Hassan, 42, said the rate of development was out of sync with congestion in the town.

"The development here is great but they did not think about the increase in traffic and plan for it.

"So now the Kajang people suffer with traffic jams daily because nothing was done to improve the roads here.”

Kalai said that Kajang congestion apart, motorists had been unhappy with paying toll to exit from Kajang to Kuala Lumpur.

"We're surrounded by highways and we have to pay toll every time we get out of Kajang to Kuala Lumpur. It's quite expensive. There are no toll-free roads," he said.

The Kajang Ring Road or Silk Highway, which opened some years ago to facilitate travel to Semenyih from the KL-Seremban Highway and other parts without having
to go through Kajang town, is also tolled.

Chen said that it was a relief to Kajang folk when the toll rates on one of the highways, Kajang-Cheras highway, were halved two years ago.

"It helped then but now, some people would feel the pinch, especially with the rising cost of living," the 50-year-old said, adding that Putrajaya’s planned toll hike was bound to be among the hot-button issues during the by-election.

Kalai said there were many poor people in Kajang who were affected by the recent price increases of basic goods, such as petrol, sugar and electricity tariff.

"Food that used to cost only RM2.50 in Kajang is now easily RM4.50," Kalai said.
"Even the price of satay has increased to more than RM1 a stick in some places.

"It's a well-known fact that the Kajang wet market is one of the most expensive in the country," Hamzah said.

The increase in Kajang’s population has been accompanied by a spike in the crime rate, and increasingly neighbourhood watches are being set up to increase security in housing areas.

Chen, who is part of such a group, said the police have engaged RT from residential areas to help in crime-prevention programmes.

"As citizens, we try to help in any way we can. This is where I was born and grew up," he added.

There are 38,965 voters in the constituency. Malays make up 49% of the voters, while the Chinese make up 41%, and Indians, 10%.

The Chinese population is concentrated in Sungai Chua while Malays are located Sungai Sekamat, Sungai Kantan and kampung in Jalan Cheras.

Indians, though spread out in the constituency, have a sizeable presence in Sungai Jelok.

In the 2013 general election PKR’s Lee Chin Cheh obtained 19,571 votes against Lee Ban Seng (Barisan Nasional – 12,747 votes) and Mohamad Ismail (Berjasa – 1,014 votes).