Residents fume at Zairil no-show at town hall

 

Zairil Khir Johari is standing in Tanjong Bunga in the Penang state polls. (Facebook pic)

GEORGE TOWN: Zairil Khir Johari’s no show at a town hall to meet candidates vying for the Tanjong Bunga seat left residents disappointed, with some having choice words for the former DAP assemblyman.

Zulfikar Aziz.

Tanjong Bunga resident and public transportation activist Zulfikar Aziz, who was among the 60 residents who showed up for the meet-and-greet session, called Zairil a “coward” for not attending the event.

Another Tanjong Bunga resident, David Giam, 60 said that he came to the event with some questions that he wanted to pose to Zairil.

David Giam.

A clearly irate Giam said Zairil’s absence would have a bearing on how he would vote on Aug 12.

“I am not going to tell who I am voting for. I am not going to tell others who to vote for. But tonight, we know who not to vote for.”

Another resident, George Aeria, 60, said Zairil had “failed the Tanjong Bunga residents miserably” with his no show.

“He does not want to listen to us. Why should we have him any longer?,” said Aeria, who has been living in Tanjong Bunga since he was six years old.

George Aeria.

Aeria also said that he wished the constituency had an elected representative like its former assemblyman Teh Yee Cheu who was outspoken on environmental issues.

Meanwhile the two other candidates H’ng Chee Wey of Perikatan Nasional and Lee Chui Wah of PRM touched on their concerns and plans if they were elected.

H’ng of Gerakan spoke about poor town planning in Tanjong Bunga and Penang, citing the development of condominiums in Tanjung Tokong which had worsened the traffic flow in the area.

He also assured residents that PAS would not interfere with their daily lives, promising to fight any party if they attempted to do so.

Meanwhile, Lee spoke against the reclamation projects that had been taking place in Tanjong Bunga and the lack of green spaces in the constituency. She also touched on the increasing number of condominium projects in the area.

She said if elected, she would call for a moratorium on housing projects in Tanjong Bunga until the draft local plan for the Penang island had been gazetted.

When contacted, Zairil told FMT that he could not make it to the event due to a tight campaigning schedule for today, and that he could not reorganise the schedule as there were only a few days left to campaign. - FMT