PALOH: Jobs, affordable housing and basic infrastructure will be the focus for Paloh incumbent Lee Ting Han if he is returned for another term.
The MCA candidate, who is defending the Paloh state seat for Barisan Nasional, said his first term was spent largely on strengthening the constituency’s basics, including roads, drains, street lights, public transport, community facilities and flood mitigation works.
Lee, who was Johor investment, trade, consumer affairs and human resources committee chairman in the previous state administration, said rural seats such as Paloh needed both immediate local fixes and longer-term economic planning.
"For the past four years, much of what we did was to build the foundation —roads, lights, buses and basic infrastructure. These are the things people use every day," he said.
Among the initiatives he highlighted was the free bus service between Paloh and Kluang, which he said had benefited students, senior citizens and residents travelling for medical appointments.
"Previously, there was no free bus from Paloh to Kluang. We applied for it during this term and it was approved as a state government project.
"Many students and elderly residents use it, especially as many working adults have left for Johor Baru, Singapore or elsewhere," he said.
Lee also cited the long-awaited Paloh-Bekok road project, which he said had finally moved after years of delay involving land matters.
Although it is a federal project, he said his role as assemblyman and state exco member allowed him to help coordinate the process and speed up implementation.
Another project, he said, was the Rumah Malaysia Sembrong housing scheme, involving 400 rental units, which is expected to be completed by the end of the year.
"This was announced before the 2018 general election but did not move after that. It was restarted during this term.
"It is a federal project, but the land is provided by the state government," he said.
Lee said he would push for the second and third phases of the scheme if re-elected, adding that affordable housing was important to keep young people in Paloh.
"If there are no housing opportunities, young people will not stay. This is a rural area and developers may not want to take the risk, so the government must take the lead," he said.
On local improvements, Lee said Dataran Paloh had turned what was once an overgrown area into a community space used by residents in the morning and evening.
"If you go there at 7am, you can see people exercising and dancing. At night, people are also there —Chinese, Malays and Indians. It has become a public space for the community," he said.
Looking ahead, Lee said Paloh’s next challenge was to create jobs and reduce the outflow of young people.
He said a textile-related project involving a Singapore-China joint venture had been secured for an industrial site near Jalan Kluang-Paloh, covering about 50 acres.
The project, he said, is expected to create about 500 jobs and could break ground by the end of the year.
"We spent a lot of time dealing with basic infrastructure, zoning and land use. But once we achieve the first breakthrough, it will be easier to bring in the second and third projects," he said.
Lee said the project would be relatively automated but would still create employment and help position Paloh for light industrial investment.
Tourism, he added, was another area with potential.
He said a private developer had built a coffee house on a hill outside Paloh, but the access road still needed to be completed.
"The state government will assist with the road. Once it is done, and with better connectivity, we hope it can attract visitors to stop by, walk around and spend some time here," he said.
At state level, Lee said Johor’s economic performance showed that the state had laid strong foundations for future growth.
He said total approved investments in Johor stood at RM272.10bil, with more than 80,000 job opportunities created.
"Johor recorded the highest investment year in Malaysia. In 2022, we began to lead, with Johor at the top in the country. In 2025, we broke a new record for the highest approved investments in Malaysia," we broke a new record for the highest approved investments in Malaysia," he said.
Lee said the past four years were about building the foundation, while the next four should be about faster execution.
"The next four years must be about moving faster and delivering more," he said.
Lee is facing Dr Ruban of the Democratic Action Party, representing Pakatan Harapan, and D.S. Jeevan of the Malaysian Indian People’s Party, representing Perikatan Nasional, in the Paloh contest.
