S'gor MB slams BN for 'buying vote'

Selangor Menteri Besar Abdul Khalid Ibrahim today responded to a slew of BN’s pledges to bring development projects in Hulu Selangor by ticking off the coalition for making promises it does not intend to deliver.

 

"Don't lie to the people of Selangor. Crooks have no business in this state," he assailed.

 

Abdul Khalid, who is also Selangor PKR state chief, dared BN to throw more goodies to the constituents in the upcoming Hulu Selangor by-election.

 

"We welcome that RM2 million that they are going to pour into the Hulu Selangor villages. It is our right as Selangor taxpayers anyway. In fact, they can also build a university here if they want to.

 

"(The state government) can look for the land, and give it to them at a very low premium. They can call it whatever they want, University BN, or University 1Malaysia... so long as they fulfill that promise," he said at a press conference after a ‘turun padang’ session at SKC Bernam, Hulu Selangor this afternoon.

Yesterday, Deputy Prime Minister went to Hulu Selangor bearing gifts in the form of four new schools and a RM2 million allocation to help mitigate floods in the constituency.

He was followed by Prime Minister Najib Razak today with the promise of a RM32 million housing project for Felda settlers in Gugusan Sungai Dusun.

Abdul Khalid also rubbished Najib's claims that the people are already losing faith with Pakatan Rakyat.

 

"If he says they are losing faith, why is he coming here? He can just go and enjoy himself somewhere else," he said, referring to Najib's walkabout in Kuala Kubu Baru timed to coincide with Abdul Khalid's function.

 

Leaders from both sides of the political divide have been making their rounds in the sleepy outskirts in the bid to shore up support ahead of the hotly contested by-election.

 

While nomination date will not be until April 17, and voters cast their ballots on April 25, campaigning is already in full swing.

 

"(Najib) should go to Sabah, Sarawak or Kelantan, where there are more poor people per capita. Why come to Hulu Selangor? Usually, the number one don't ‘turun padang’ (go to the ground)," said Abdul Khalid.

 

MB to lead PKR campaign

Abdul Khalid also poured cold water on rumours that the PKR election machinery is in disarray following claims of infighting among its division members.

 

"I am here. We're all here. I have been tasked to lead the election machinery, and immediately after nomination, I will lead the team," he said.

 

At Abdul Khalid's function in the former mining town just beside United Plantations Lima Blas Estate, the former chief of plantation giant Guthrie gave land titles to 108 families as well as cash to 73 people in a senior citizen's welfare scheme introduced by the state government.

 

The land titles were given to families who have been living on state-owned land, saddled with the uncertainty of their temporary occupation licence (TOL) for more than 15 years.

 

Previously under the BN state government, families are required to get signatures from the government-appointed village head before they are eligible to have their TOL coverted to either a leasehold or freehold title.

 

Under the new state government however, teams from the district and land office would go from house to house to get the applications filled up in batches according to each village.

 

Abdul Khalid insisted that his presence, along with a near full-force of his state cabinet, is not to make promises to the people.

 

"We are here to implement whatever we have promised to people in the past," he said in his speech to about 200 people who braved the sweltering heat of the mid-afternoon sun.

 

Previously a BN stronghold

In this rural bit of Hulu Selangor such as SKC Bernam and neighbouring Kampung Seri Keledang, where there are only 170 families, it is gestures like these which seem to win people over.

 

A septuagenarian who wanted to be known as Makcik Ros said that she has never seen an MB come to this part of the world in her entire life.

 

Pocketing RM2,500 in total from the senior citizen's scheme, she added that she has never received such help from the previous BN state governments.

 

P Markandu, 46, a contractor who spent his entire life in Kampung Seri Keledang, also said that the people's needs in the Malay-majority area are simple.

 

He said the village used to be a BN stronghold until the 2008 general elections.

 

When speaking of the former four-term Hulu Selangor MP and frontrunner as BN candidate G Palanivel, Markandu said that the MIC politician was arrogant and had refused an invitation to visit the temple in the village - a grudge Markandu bore to this day.

 

"Before 2008, every time there are elections, we can hardly see any PKR flags. But now we see them everywhere. They are now also the state government, so we have more confidence in them," he said.