Datuk Shamsubahrin Ismail
KUALA LUMPUR: The three-sided contest for Tanjung Piai is likely to turn into a multi-cornered fight following an announcement by an aspiring independent candidate here.
Yesterday morning, Datuk Shamsubahrin Ismail, founder-director of Big Blue Capital Sdn Bhd, threw his hat into the fray
Born in Johor Baru, Shamsubahrin, 54, is known for his many offbeat, off-the-cuff comments on the transport industry.
His candidacy in Tanjung Piai is endorsed by GTSM (Gabungan Pertubuhan Teksi, Kereta Sewa, Limosin dan Teksi Lapangan Terbang SeMalaysia), which claims a nationwide membership of around 50,000 drivers.
Kamarudin Mohd Hussain, head of GTSM, who was present at the press conference at Shamsubahrin’s office, said: “We want Datuk Shamsubahrin to be our voice in Parliament to champion our interests.
“When we placed our trust in Pakatan Harapan, it ended up worse for us. Various subsidies have been removed, like free water in Selangor.
“At least, Barisan Nasional gave us tyre subsidies and a RM800 petrol voucher.
“We got nothing from Pakatan, the Transport Ministry (MOT) top brass is also not interested to meet us.
“We are really disappointed. The taxi players sent eight letters to MOT, seeking for an audience, but were not entertained. It seems that they no longer care about the people’s welfare after they are in power, ” said Kamarudin.
Shamsubahrin said if he is elected, he will take MOT to task for all its shortcomings.
“Other than uplifting the lot of Johoreans by offering permanent jobs in the transport industry, we will continue to protest against all their mistakes, especially those committed by MOT, as well as Pakatan’s unfulfilled promises to the people, ” he said.
