COMMENT | A week has passed since the Slim by-election when all eyes were focussed on this semi-rural seat near the border between Selangor and Perak.

Based on the cycle of by-elections, the natural thing that will happen is that the sleepy town will return to its "forgotten state" after two weeks of heavy courting by interested parties.

But there are many towns and villages around the country that deserve and need more long-term attention, not just a brief display of affection and interest.

Indeed Slim was given the title "ghost town" by an opposition leader who criticised BN's failure to develop the area.

It sounds condescending but having been in Slim since the nomination process in mid-August began, this writer can not deny the fact that Slim is a bit backwards even compared to other nearby towns such as Tanjung Malim, Behrang, Sungkai and Bidor.

That being said, the people of Slim are proud of who they are and where they are from.

Did you know that the first toll plaza in Malaysia was built in Slim? Yes, the first toll plaza in Malaysia was once located on the main road between Slim River to Tanjung Malim which opened in 1964. This 20km two-way road is called the Tanjung Malim-Slim River Highway.

Also, one of the oldest ...