SIMPANG Renggam folk in Johor want the issue of poor Internet connectivity in the town addressed.

Many are also calling for better paying jobs so locals can stay on in their hometown instead of having to move elsewhere.

Simpang Renggam is known for its agricultural produce, particularly pineapples.

There are six towns under the parliamentary constituency, namely Renggam, Machap, Sungai Sayong, Layang-layang, Taman Sri Lambak and Simpang Renggam.

Trader Norazlina Ain Othman, 43, said the Internet connectivity was quite bad, even in urban areas.

“During the Covid-19 movement control order period, my children struggled to get online and stay connected.

“Small businesses like mine would have benefitted greatly during the Covid-19 pandemic if we had gone online but because of the connectivity problem, we could not,” she said.

Norazlina, who sells ayam madu (honey barbequed chicken), hopes that roads in the area will also be upgraded.

“The poor patching up of potholes has resulted in uneven roads which are quite dangerous,” she said.

Retiree P. Saminathan, 70, said there was a need to improve access to medical facilities in Simpang Renggam.

“The nearest government hospital is in Kluang, which is about 30 minutes away.

“If we want to visit a specialist, we need to travel to either Johor Baru or Batu Pahat.

“It is very inconvenient, especially for emergency cases,” he said.

Saminathan added that apart from improving road conditions, more streetlights should be installed in rural areas.

Restaurant owner Heng Ah Seng, 68, said that although there were ample job opportunities in Simpang Renggam, the pay was too low.

“My children had to go to Singapore, Johor Baru and Kuala Lumpur for better wages.

“If more companies can set up base here, there will be a greater likelihood of our children staying on in Simpang Renggam,” he said.

Heng said the next MP should also improve the drainage system to prevent flash floods.

“Floods here are not as bad as in other districts but we do come across them from time to time.

“We should not wait for the problem to become worse before taking action,” he stressed.

The Simpang Renggam parliamentary seat is located in the Kluang district and has about 59,033 voters.

There are two state seats under Simpang Renggam, namely Machap and Layang-Layang.

Johor Barisan Nasional chairman Datuk Seri Hasni Mohammad is taking on incumbent and former Education minister Dr Maszlee Malik from Pakatan Harapan-PKR.

The other two candidates are Fazrul Kamat (Perikatan Nasional-Bersatu) and Kamal Kusmin (Gerakan Tanah Air-Pejuang).

In GE14, Maszlee won the seat with a 3,475-vote majority against Gerakan’s Datuk Liang Teck Meng and Mohd Jubri Selamat from PAS.

Liang had served as the MP for two terms when Gerakan was still a Barisan component party.

Simpang Renggam, one of six towns in the Kluang district is known for its pineapple plantations (photo at right). — THOMAS YONG/The Star and Filepic

- Star