I wanted access to ministers, not govt job, says PBM candidate

 

Parti Bangsa Malaysia candidate Steven Choong said he felt frustrated while he was an opposition backbencher.

KULAI: Johor election candidate Steven Choong says he was misunderstood about what he had sought in exchange for previously supporting the Muhyiddin Yassin federal government.

It was access to ministers that he wanted, not a government position, said Choong, who is the Parti Bangsa Malaysia candidate for the Puteri Wangsa seat

Choong, formerly with PKR, is MP for Tebrau. After Pakatan Harapan fell from power in March 2020, he had struggled to set up appointments with ministers as an opposition backbencher.

“I did not ask for a special position or to be a minister. What I wanted was access to ministers,” the told FMT. He said he had wanted to help rebuild the economy, particularly small- and medium-sized enterprises, by leading a taskforce of sorts overlooking this sector.

“That’s all I asked for. I did not ask for a position, I just wanted access to the ministers and a way to help SMEs,” he said.

Choong said getting access to ministers was important to him in serving the people. He said he was left frustrated and unhappy as he could not help the people of Tebrau with their needs after PH fell. “I didn’t know how to tell the people why I couldn’t help them,” he said.

After he announced support for Muhyiddin’s government in February last year, Choong was reported to have said that Muhyiddin, who is Bersatu president, had promised him an official position that would give him the platform to rebuild the economy.

“If I have the power, I can get all the ministries to sit down together and discuss the issues. I did not want to be a minister or a deputy minister. I did not want to manage a government-linked company as well. I just wanted to solve the problems (caused by Covid-19),” he reportedly said.

DAP leader Lim Guan Eng, among others, had then called for Muhyiddin to be investigated for corruption in allegedly offering Choong an “official position”.

Choong is in a six-cornered fight for Puteri Wangsa, facing off against Barisan Nasional’s Ng Yew Aik, PN’s Loh Kah Yong, Muda’s Amira Aisya Abd Aziz, Pejuang’s Khairul Anwar Razali and independent candidate Adzrin Adam.

He said the main issues that needed to be resolved in Puteri Wangsa were the lack of affordable housing for the B40 group and river pollution such as that in Sungai Tebrau.

“If I become the (Puteri Wangsa) assemblyman, I would have the capacity to approach the state government to provide solutions for these issues.” - FMT