Kelantan voters in Klang Valley hope for a change in Kota Bharu

 

Kelantan voters living in the Klang Valley can see the difference in the standard of living between the two regions and want a government that will close the gap.

PETALING JAYA: Young Kelantan voters living in the Klang Valley are hoping for a change in their state government at the polls on Aug 12.

Influenced by her experience of living in ultra-modern Selangor, Yusrina Yahya, 32, from Tanjung Mas, said she is disappointed with the PAS government for its failure to develop her home state of Kelantan.

She hopes that PAS will lose the election because she wants Kelantan to experience the same progress she sees in Selangor and Kuala Lumpur.

“I want my family to experience the same facilities that I get in the Klang Valley,” Yusrina told FMT.

Kelantan is one of the poorest states in Malaysia with 42,131 hardcore poor families.

The state’s GDP per capita is RM16,567, far below the national average of RM54,863.

The state has also been criticised for a lack of development in terms of public infrastructure and job opportunities.

Khadijah Abdul Karim, 22, a UKM undergraduate, believes the PAS state government has been complacent, having governed Kelantan for 30 years.

Khadijah, who will vote in Melor, said PAS has failed to address some of the Kelantan people’s basic needs, especially water.

“A change in the state’s political arena will likely awaken PAS to the fact that it has been too comfortable in power,” said Khadijah.

Issues surrounding the supply of water in Kelantan have become fodder for politicians from both Pakatan Harapan (PH) and Barisan Nasional (BN).

Previously, the Kelantan government had put in an RM8 billion proposal to solve the state’s water problems.

Both prime minister Anwar Ibrahim and economy minister Rafizi Ramli said the project is too costly because it includes the construction of a reservoir they say is unnecessary.

Meanwhile, despite coming from a family supporting BN, Azim Ismail, 28 said he is satisfied with the performance of the Wakaf Bharu assemblyman Rusli Abdullah.

Azim said Rusli, who has served since 2018, was quick to respond to the complaints made by residents.

He said this was a key criterion he will consider for the upcoming election.

“People observe whether the elected representatives are doing their job, and at Wakaf Bharu, even PH and BN supporters compliment Rusli, although he is a PAS assemblyman,” said Azim.

In 2018, Rusli won his seat from BN’s Rosdi Aziz and PH’s Khir Zahri with a majority of 387.

Kelantan has been a PAS stronghold since 1990, and was initially led by the party’s former spiritual leader Nik Aziz Nik Mat, who was later succeeded by Ahmad Yakob in 2013. - FMT