'Deal with our floods' - Padang Serai voters' wishlist for future MP

The issue of flooding has come under intense public scrutiny since the unexpected and disastrous floods which struck several states simultaneously a year ago.

Since then, various parts of the country have been afflicted with flash floods every so often, prompting the public to urge the government to handle this problem.

The people of Padang Serai – who are facing a delayed election on Dec 7 – are also demanding an elected representative who will help them resolve the same problem.

Malaysiakini spoke to a number of Padang Serai voters who said about 60 percent of the constituency is prone to floods.

Shukor Osman, 35, from Sungai Seluang, is among those urging for major flood mitigation projects in the constituency.

“To address the flooding problems in Padang Serai and other flood-prone areas, the authorities need to deepen and widen Sungai Merbau Pulas, Sungai Jarak and Sungai Kulim in Kedah, and they also need to undertake flood mitigation projects downstream as the rivers run into Seberang Prai Utara and Seberang Prai Tengah (in mainland Penang).

“I believe the flooding problems in south Kedah will be resolved if similar flood mitigation projects are carried out in Seberang Prai,” he said.

Similarly, K Gobalakrishnan @ Kaalshiva from Lunas, also lamented the frequent floods in a number of residential areas surrounding Sungai Jarak and Sungai Kulim.

“These areas will have floods if the rain continues for more than three hours. Thousands of people face serious problems whenever it rains as the residents in rural areas suffer huge losses when they need to replace damaged electrical appliances and furniture,” the 60-year-old said.

But they were not only worried about flooding in Padang Serai, as the voters also want an elected representative who can bring the constituency rapid development in transportation, better health services as well as the latest digital facilities and technology.

Build new hospital

Shukor, who proclaimed himself as a Pakatan Harapan supporter, said the constituency needs another hospital in Padang Serai town as the existing one – Kulim Hospital – does not have sufficient capacity to deal with the volume of patients.

“We need another hospital with specialist facilities in the constituency as the Kulim Hospital has reached its full capacity.

“There are insufficient beds to cater to the increasing number of patients as the Kulim Hospital serves more than a million people in Padang Serai, Kulim-Bandar Baru and Selama in northern Perak,” he added.

Padang Serai is also in dire need of better roads, Shukor said, so that their network of roads can be on par with the rapid development at the Kulim Hi-Tech Park, which is located in the constituency.

Aside from a new hospital, there was also a suggestion from Gobalakrishnan for more public health clinics around the constituency to serve smaller groups of the population.

Internet connectivity

Improved internet coverage was also on the wishlist of the voters, with Gobalakrishnan saying it is essential to students and businesses in the area.

“WiFi availability is vital for the youth, students and also to the business community to enhance their business as there is poor signal in most of the areas in the constituency,” he added.

This was corroborated by a 20-year-old student from Sungai Kob who only wanted to be known as Fazli.

Fazli said the government needs to upgrade internet connectivity in the area as students nowadays are expected to have good connection to attend online lectures and classes.

At the same time, there is a need for an excellent public transport system in Padang Serai, he added.

“We also need good public transport, including bus services as the current bus service is three decades old and, if possible, introduce an MRT or LRT system, where in the future it will turn Padang Serai, especially the Kulim Hi-Tech Park and its surroundings, into a metropolitan town when the proposed Kulim Airport becomes a reality,” he said.

The Padang Serai election was deferred to Dec 7 following the death of Harapan incumbent M Karupaiya, on Nov 16.

The 69-year-old former soldier won the seat in 2018 with a majority of 8,813 votes against MCA’s Leong Yong Kong and PAS’ Muhammad Sobri Osman.

This Padang Serai by-election will see a six-way fight between Azman Nasruddin (Perikatan Nasional), Mohamad Sofee Razak (Harapan), C Sivarraajh (BN), Hamzah Abd Rahman (Pejuang), Mohd Bakhri Hashim (Warisan) and independent candidate Sreanandha Rao.

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