Some voters want the next Subang MP to address bread-and-butter issues such as inflation. — IZZRAFIQ ALIAS/The Star
Some uncertain of constituency after 2018 redelineation exercise
IT HAS been about four-and-a-half years since the 14th General Election (GE), yet some voters in the Subang parliamentary seat (P104) are still unclear about their constituency or who their MP is.
A Taman Kinrara resident named Kumar feels the problem can be attributed to the redelineation exercise that occurred just before GE14 in 2018.
During GE13 and GE12, his voting district fell under the Puchong parliamentary seat (P103).
But it was redesignated under Subang during GE14.
“I hardly see my MP here, so I do not even know who he or she is.
“I know who my assemblyman is though, because he regularly looks into community issues,” said Kumar.
Previously known as Kelana Jaya, the constituency was renamed Subang in the 2018 redelineation exercise.
The Subang constituency has been held by PKR since GE12 in 2008 when Loh Gwo Burne won the seat.
Wong Chen took over as MP when he won with a majority of 28,827 for GE13 in 2013 and 92,353-vote majority for GE14 in 2018.
The GE15 candidates contesting for the seat are Wong (Pakatan Harapan-PKR), Dr Kow Cheong Wei (Barisan Nasional-MCA) and Ang Hiang Ni (Perikatan Nasional-Gerakan).
Close to 231,000 people are expected to cast their votes in Subang this year.
Of that, 55% are Chinese, 27% Malay, 17% Indian and 1% others.
Bandar Puteri Puchong 8 Rukun Tetangga (RT) chairman Datuk Samson Maman feels it is time to vote for a candidate who is closer to the people.
Samson wants an MP who is more people-centric and regularly engages the community.
“We need an MP who can relate to people’s issues and not only show up whenever there is an election.
“He should be more people-centric and regularly engage the community,” said the businessman.
Samson said there were several federal-level issues in Bandar Puteri Puchong that required an MP’s attention, including the need for a proper police station and government schools there.
“At the moment, the police station is located within a shoplot in Puteri 7 and the nearest government school is in Taman Wawasan.
“There is also a road that comes under the federal purview that is in need of proper maintenance,” he said in reference to Jalan Puchong which stretches from Puteri 4 to Kampung Batu 14.
For Bandar Kinrara 5 resident V. Sudevan, a candidate’s personality matters more than their party.
“We should vote based on a candidate’s qualities such as their integrity, values, agenda and intent,” the project manager opined.
“I want to see my future MP address more bread-and-butter issues like employment, social issues and inflation.”
Similarly, Phoebe Ting hopes that the next MP will look into national economic and finance matters to address the rising cost of living, shrinking value of the ringgit and the increasing prices of everyday goods.
“I hope that the MP will stick to his promises and fulfil all that he pledged during the GE15 campaign period,” said the businesswoman and Bandar Kinrara resident.
A health clinic offering affordable healthcare was also much needed in the constituency, they said.
It is yet to be built, though Wong said in a social media post that he was informed by the Health Minister that it would be built next year under Budget 2023.
USJ 3/4 RT chairman YY Tan said, “We understand that Wong, as an MP, has to focus on national issues such as education and climate change.
“But he keeps us updated on certain matters, such as the status of the much-needed health clinic in USJ1 and how residents should lobby for it.
“Besides portioning some of his allocation for schools, non-governmental organisations such as our RT get a small share.
“However, we have to be accountable and report how the money is spent.”
Tan, a company director, said an MP should be approachable, communicable, visible in terms of being on-ground and have a team that was easy to work with.
USJ 12/2-2F Residents Association (RA) chairman Datuk Nor Azman Abdul Rahman said Wong had been transparent in terms of his allocation expenditure and updating residents on various issues.
“I would like the next MP to work on ensuring stability of economy, addressing cost of living matters and ensuring the younger generation has good job opportunities,” he said.
USJ 6 RA chairman Dr Sairin Salleh said: “An MP should be forward thinking, creative and innovative in ideas and have strategies to improve the constituency.”
“There is a need to address issues such as cost of living, climate change, environment and higher use of public transport in Subang,” said the engineer.
