No manifesto, Bersama unveils 'service pledge' for 'high-quality' opposition

 

JOHOR POLLS | Parti Bersama Malaysia today unveiled a service pledge for its 15 candidates contesting the 16th Johor state election, promising to continue serving their constituencies regardless of the outcome of the polls.

The pledge, signed by all 15 candidates, outlines five commitments centred on community engagement, housing, public transport, and government accountability, reflecting the party’s aim of offering what it described as “high-quality opposition representatives”.

Bersama co-leader Rafizi Ramli, who read out the service pledge at the party’s operations centre in Stulang, said the pledges are in line with a focus to become a “functional, competent, and qualified” opposition in the 56-seat Johor state assembly.

“If Bersama were contesting enough seats to form the government, then it would be appropriate for us to present a manifesto.

“However, since we know our objective is to become a high-quality opposition, my colleagues and I believe the best approach is for Bersama’s candidates to offer a service pledge instead,” said the former economy minister.

Watchdog role

Under its first pledge, Bersama committed to organising monthly mobile public complaints counters, operating a digital platform for residents to raise local and national issues, and facilitating public forums, petitions and campaigns to ensure matters affecting Johoreans receive attention from both the state and federal governments.

The party also pledged to work with relevant government departments to propose constructive alternatives in resolving issues faced by the public.

On housing, Bersama said its candidates would seek to preserve Johor’s heritage and identity in property development, protect traditional villages from encroaching commercial projects, and safeguard residents from the impact of industrial developments such as data centres if poorly planned.

The party also pledged to push for improvements to the state’s housing guidelines to ensure Johoreans are able to own or occupy homes suitable for their family’s needs.

On transport, Bersama proposed an integrated bus-based public transport system to complement the mass transit network under development in Johor Bahru, with an emphasis on improving first- and last-mile connectivity.

Its candidates also pledged to identify and build public support for road upgrading projects requiring state and federal funding.

The final commitment focuses on governance, with Bersama promising to monitor the financial performance of the state government, statutory bodies, and state-owned companies to prevent leakages and wastage of public funds.

It also pledged to advocate continuous improvements to state government and local authority procedures to improve administrative efficiency and reduce bureaucracy for the public. - Mkini