JOHOR BARU: From near-yearly floods in Perling to the daily crawl at the two land crossings into Singapore, five Pakatan Harapan candidates in greater Johor Baru say they will tackle the city's everyday frustrations as a single team if elected at the state polls.
Their campaign centres on issues with a direct bearing on daily life, among them public transport, flood management, childcare, senior citizens' welfare and cross-border matters.
"It is not a case of one candidate championing just one issue. We will move as one team to monitor, bring proposals and carry out improvements on all these issues in the interest of the people," incumbent Stulang assemblyman Andrew Chen Kah Eng told a press conference at Johor Baru on Monday (July 6).
Chen was present with the Pakatan candidates for Tiram, Perling, Skudai and Johor Jaya during the press conference.
On congestion, Chen said Pakatan would keep pushing for smoother traffic at the Causeway and the Second Link through technology and other suitable solutions.
He also proposed a Johor-Singapore cross-border select committee in the state assembly, so that congestion, the cross-border economy and bilateral ties can be debated more comprehensively.
Perling candidate Alan Tee Boon Tsong said flood management would be a priority, as several areas in greater Johor Baru are hit almost every year.
While climate change played a part, he said many of the floods could have been prevented.
As an example, Tee cited the floods in Perling in March last year, which affected over 1,000 families.
"That should have been avoidable," he said, noting that the floods often came down to nothing more than clogged drains.
If given the mandate, he said, Pakatan would scrutinise whether development in Johor Baru — particularly in Perling and Iskandar Puteri — had gone too far, and whether contractors were keeping to schedule.
Johor Jaya candidate Lee Wern Yiing said Pakatan wanted more frequent, punctual buses with clearer route information, so that commuters could depend on them, along with better connectivity between buses, rail and private vehicles.
Safer walkways and more pedestrian crossings would also encourage the use of public transport, she said.
Skudai candidate Kartiyaini Jeyapalan, meanwhile, said senior citizens' welfare deserved attention as Malaysia heads towards becoming an ageing society.
She proposed more community centres and social activities for the elderly, senior-friendly public facilities, closer ties with medical institutions and welfare agencies, and support for families caring for aged parents.
"We want senior citizens to live more comfortably, while giving peace of mind to family members who go out to work or study," she said.
On childcare, Tiram candidate Nor Zulaila said that PH was offering 250 Taska Madani and workplace nurseries at industrial areas, government offices and communities across Johor, bringing childcare closer to where parents work.
The mother of two called childcare an economic issue, with better access helping more women return to work after childbirth.
Johor goes to the polls on Saturday (July 11).
