Three’s a crowd as Muda joins Bukit Gasing fight

The candidates: (From left) Rajiv, Nallan and Raja will be vying for the Bukit Gasing seat.

PETALING JAYA: Bukit Gasing, a seat that has many “old money” and upmarket voters, has always seen DAP and Gerakan fighting it out since the 1980s.

However, this time around, Muda has joined the fray.

It’s also a seat with a large non-Malay majority with 67.10% Chinese and 14.27% Indian voters. The Malays make up 16.06% with 2.58% others.

Pakatan Harapan’s incumbent Rajiv Rishyakaran is gunning for a hattrick in the seat as he is now running for his third term.

His opponent Nallan Dhanabalan is from Perikatan Nasional and is a former Ampang Jaya local councillor and special functions officer to former housing and local government minister Datuk Zuraida Kamaruddin.

Rajiv is optimistic about defending his seat but is not taking it for granted. Apart from the five-year pledges by the unity pact in Selangor, Rajiv has also pledged to tackle traffic issues using artificial intelligence and enhance the kumpool e-hailing van service which he started.

“We have also been aggressive in building walkways. We have built 370km of walkways in PJ in the last two terms. We are making PJ disabled-friendly,” he said, adding that ramps had also been installed at various places.

Besides that, all government services in Selangor will also be digitalised, he added.

“Counters will remain but those who prefer to do their transactions online need not go to the counter.”

Rajiv said the people of Bukit Gasing want a multicultural and multireligion administration and a government that respects them.

He said the Pakatan-led Selangor government has been giving grants to Chinese and Tamil vernacular schools as well as religious schools, since it came to power in 2008.

The other man in the fight for Bukit Gasing is Muda’s VKK Raja, a former MIC member who has joined the party led by Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman.

His father Datuk VKK Teagarajan, a former Malaysian Associated Indian Chamber of Commerce and Industry president, was also an MIC strongman.

“When you are growing up, you actually want to make changes. MIC didn’t align with my values. Muda is something I really subscribe to. It is a multiracial party and they want to actually be the strongest voice,” says the 44-year-old entrepreneur-politician.

Although he will be taking on “two giants”, the Bukit Gasing resident said no one party could call the seat theirs.

“I think people are much more knowledgeable and they know the political climate and what is happening, “ he said.

Raja said Muda will be the third force to provide a checks and balances in the state assembly.

Muda has been quite loud when it comes to posters and flags in the constituency, along with the Pakatan candidate.

Perikatan, however, seems to be muted, with fewer election bunting around Bukit Gasing.

Nallan said this is a “strategy”, and that he had been on the ground and people know who he is. “My strategy is to go down on the ground to check the sentiments of the people. So far we are getting positive responses.

“If they turn it to votes on Aug 12, I believe I will be elected as the representative for Bukit Gasing.”

Being a polyglot who was educated in a Chinese vernacular school, Nallan believes his ability to speak Mandarin allows him to connect with the Chinese community.His experience in the local government also helps as he can address infrastructure issues, cleanliness, upgrades of public amenities and make Bukit Gasing a good recreational place.

Of his opponents, he said it is a process of democracy, adding that Selangor is not new to him.

“Anyone can come in and contest and I have been sent by the party to contest here based on my experience in the local council and the needs of the people of Bukit Gasing,” he said.