No 'selected development' if Harapan wins GE15 - PKR leader

If Pakatan Harapan wins the 15th general election (GE15), the coalition will make developments based on the people's needs, and not the needs of ministers and cronies, as has been the case "under BN".

So said PKR deputy secretary-general Dr Sathia Prakash Nadarajan at a forum held for Malaysian Indian journalists yesterday.

Sathia (above), who is the Harapan candidate for the Hulu Selangor parliamentary seat, said developments under the BN were "targeted" at areas of ministers and cronies.

"Take Hulu Selangor for example. The parliamentary constituency is 1,700 square kilometres wide and has more than 250,000 residents. But the area does not have a specialist hospital.

"But Rembau, which is only about 400 square kilometres wide and with much fewer residents there compared with Hulu Selangor, has a specialist hospital there," he said.

The incumbent Rembau MP is Khairy Jamaluddin, who is the caretaker health minister. However, for GE15, Khairy has moved to the Sungai Buloh parliamentary seat.

Sathia stressed that he does not oppose the construction of a specialist hospital in Rembau. Instead, he was just wondering why similar treatment was not accorded to Hulu Selangor, to the extent that people from this constituency have to go to the Selayang Hospital for emergencies.

"This is what I call 'unfair' and 'selected development' by the BN government, and this has to stop."

No challenge to Malay rights

Sathia, who is also Hulu Selangor Harapan chairperson, went on to declare that the Harapan government would never challenge the rights accorded to the Malays.

"The Harapan government's policies will guard Malay rights and sensitivities of the Islamic religion," he said, responding to claims by BN and Perikatan Nasional that Harapan will become DAP's 'puppet' if it forms the government.

Sathia also touched on the remark by Khairy that he would bring about developments to the Sungai Buloh Hospital if he wins the seat in GE15.

"As the health minister, he did not make promises for hospitals that are in poor condition in the other parliamentary constituencies.

"The health sector is just an example (of BN's 'selected development'). We can see similar cases in other sectors as well, such as education, social centres for the youth, welfare and human resources, among others," Sathia said.

'No more bloated costs'

Sathia said that Harapan will also regulate leakages in developments, which have become "all too common under the BN administration".

"I was shocked to hear that the general cost quoted for the construction of a classroom in a Tamil school under the BN administration is between RM150,000 and RM200,000.

"This does not include other equipment, such as tables and chairs. Although we see such a hefty sum allocated for Tamil schools, the construction quality (of these buildings) remains poor," lamented Sathia.

This is because a huge chunk of the channelled allocations goes into the pockets of cronies, he charged.

Sathia was chosen to replace the incumbent June Leow in GE15.

The Hulu Selangor parliamentary seat is set to witness a six-way clash. However, the real fight is expected to be between Sathia and BN candidate T Mohan from the MIC.

The other candidates throwing their hats in the ring are PN's Hasnizan Harun, Pejuang candidate Harumaini Omar, Parti Bangsa Malaysia's Haniza Talha, and independent candidate Azlinda Baroni.

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