I appeal to the voters in Kajang keep in mind that this by-election only occurred because of PKR’s mockery of the democratic process. As such, regardless of who PKR fields, the rakyat must be aware that this does not change the fact that it was PKR who was behind this by-election in the first place.

Seeing that the resignation of former Kajang assemblyperson Lee Chin Cheh was only done due to PKR’s inability to resolve its internal problems, I therefore find their slogan of ‘Safeguard Kajang, Stabilising Selangor, Move Towards Putrajaya’ as a hypocritical joke because it was a PKR assemblyperson who had first abandoned his constituents.

Ever since PKR had forced the by-election, the Kajang Municipal Council (MPKj) has not met for six months, and this has caused a serious setback in the people’s welfare, proving that the Selangor Pakatan government has become complacent in neglecting their responsibility to monitor the local councils. The fact that the people have no elected representative at this moment also complicates matters further.

However, if the people of Kajang choose Chew Mei Fun as their representative, not only will she serve to strengthen the voice of the opposition in Selangor to create a better system of checks-and-balances, but she will also dedicate her life towards resolving all issues by conveying the concerns and of the people seeking to improve the day-to-day operations of the local government.

On the other hand, this by-election means nothing to PKR. To them it is simply another election, and they see no need to field a candidate of good calibre because this seat is expendable to them and will not affect their position in Selangor. Yet, to the people of Kajang this by-election has far-reaching consequences as it involves their livelihoods.    

Therefore, I urge the Kajang constituents to ponder on the fact that an elected representative’s first and main responsibility is the welfare of her constituents. They cannot be bias nor can they deny service to anyone. Secondly is that ever since PKR performed poorly in Selangor in the 13th general election, not only have they involved the public in their internal squabbles, but that they have also failed to serve the people because of these very same internal disputes.

WEE JECK SENG is MCA deputy secretary-general.