A coalition of marginalised groups have launched a campaign to drive home the message that their votes would be reserved for the candidate who dares sign an 'Akujanji' (written pledge) prepared by them.

Marginalised People's Network (Jerit) national coordinator D Sevan said the candidate's declaration form contains three points to be undertaken by the future elected representative at either the parliamentary or state level.

By signing the 'akujanji', the candidate pledges to fulfill all the demands to the best of his/her ability. A witness is also required to sign it.

"We have made up our minds. Our votes are only for the candidate with the people's interest at heart and willing to champion our cause," he told reporters in Kuala Lumpur yesterday.

"At the very least, the person should be able to bring the problems faced by the marginalised sector to parliament."

Collective demands

The 'akujanji' requires the candidate to raise the collective demands under Jerit with his/her party's top brass, table them in parliament or the state assembly if elected, and to provide a half-yearly progress report to the respective marginalised group.

Sevan said now is the time to declare their demands, which include higher monthly wages, better working conditions in factories, basic amenities in remote plantations, farming land and relocation issues.

"We will ask the candidates who come canvassing for our votes to sign the 'akujanji' form and undertake to fulfill our collective demands during their tenure, if they are subsequently elected."

The six sectors under Jerit are manufacturing and unions, agriculture and farming, plantation workers, youths and students, and community support and non-governmental organisations.

The sectors, represented by a total of 115 grassroots groupings based in Kedah, Perak, Negeri Sembilan, Penang, Selangor and Johor, cover the interests of about 10,000 families.

Closely monitored

The group representatives said that once signed, the 'akujanji' will be widely distributed among the marginalised communities and the progress closely monitored.

If a winning candidate who has signed the written pledge fails to keep his/her promise, Sevan said the groups will continuously raise the matter at the state and national level.

"The people in the respective constituency will keep reminding their elected representative about his/her 'akujanji' at every opportunity until the demands are met," he said.

J Helen Mary, who spoke for the manufacturing sector and unionised workers, said repeated attempts to raise the problems faced at the workplace through the proper channels proved futile.

S Koyilvany agreed with Helen, saying that numerous letters and memoranda had been sent to the various ministries and authorities but nothing happened.

"We have exhausted all the proper channels but we have received zero response from the government as well as the respective unions.

"Furthermore, not all factory workers are unionised. For instance, workers in the electronics sector have nowhere to go with their problems," they added.

Oppressive law

Student representatives M Rajesh and Ng Choong Soon both wanted the Universities and University Colleges Act to be abolished immediately.

They said the law created an oppressive environment and denies students the voice to uphold basic rights.

"The job market is also filled with discriminatory practices. For example, job advertisements clearly state a preference for either a Malay or a Chinese applicant instead of being merit-based," Rajesh noted.

Both also wanted the government to provide free education for deserving students such as the system that is practiced in European countries.

In the agriculture sector, M Sugumaran and T Ramu complained about how the authorities took vegetable farms away without replacing it.

"We have brought this up with several state governments, namely Perak and Selangor, but farmers are still being forcibly evicted and left to fend for themselves without any land to cultivate," said Sugumaran.

Ramu said the state should replace the farmland it takes with an equally suitable plot instead of allocating coastal land which is unsuitable for farming.

During the 1999 general election, a similar 'akujanji' campaign was conducted in several plantations in Selangor.

D Ganesan said both the Barisan Nasional and opposition candidates in the area had refused to sign the pledge, although the latter did visit the estate to canvass for support.

"The people in the plantations abstained from voting. As a result, the opposition candidate won the state seat by 13 votes," he said.

Jerit has also planned a road show in several states faced with a large number of problems.