KLUANG: Kluang has fallen behind in the past 10 years due to a lack of development, says Gan Ping Sieu (pic) who is vying for the parliamentary seat.
He said not much development was seen in the past two terms where the constituency was held by two Opposition MPs.
"Overall, there was a standstill in developments, along with the closure of some big manufacturers, save for some local initiatives such as the construction of multi-purpose halls and mosques when Umno's Datuk Md Jais Sarday was Mahkota assemblyman in the 13th General Election.
"The general feedback from meeting voters on my campaign trail is that they yearn to see economic developments.
"I think Kluang is in need of a new industrial area as this will boost the people’s livelihood and naturally, create more job opportunities, retain local talents and attract youths to remain in the district.
"But this is not easy to achieve, as such a big project needs the support of both the state and federal governments for budget, building the adequate facilities and to bring in investors," he said when interviewed.
Gan, a lawyer by profession, added the response from voters had been positive so far and quite different compared to the previous general election.
"This is not to say that it is all rosy - a small number of people frankly told me that they are firm with their decision for my opponent and I told them I respect their choice.
"Back in 2018, I could feel the people’s hostility and it has changed this time round, as they are more cordial and some hawkers, whom I have never met before, even insist on packing food for me to bring along my campaign trail.
"I could also feel a change in narrative in the 15th General Election, where the voters are more focused on what has been done by the candidates and what are their future plans for Kluang," he said.
Gan, who is Kluang MCA division chief and former Mengkibol assemblyman, lost the Kluang seat to DAP’s Liew Chin Tong in GE13 and subsequently Wong Shu Qi in GE14.
This time around, Gan is seeking to capture the parliamentary seat in a four-cornered fight with incumbent Wong (Pakatan Harapan-DAP), Dzulkarnain Alias (Perikatan Nasional-Bersatu) and U. Ramendran (Independent).
