TANGKAK: Even before taking his oath of office, newly elected Tangkak assemblyman Datuk Haw Chin Teck was already fielding requests from residents during his post-election thank-you rounds.
Haw won the Tangkak seat for Barisan Nasional after defeating Pakatan Harapan incumbent Ee Chin Li with 14,010 votes to 10,828, securing a 3,182-vote majority.
Saying service begins once voters place their trust in their representative, Haw said his walkabouts were not just to thank voters but also to hear their concerns.
"I've already started working. While I was going around thanking voters, people were already asking me to help with certain matters, so we immediately began looking into them.
"There weren't any extraordinary cases, but people came to me seeking help.
"Serving the people and resolving their day-to-day issues is what I've always done, and that is what I will continue doing," he said.
The lawyer said one of his first priorities would be setting up a youth think-tank to give young people a greater say in Tangkak's future.
"I want to gather young people from Tangkak and hear what they want for their hometown.
"We will collect their ideas, organise town hall sessions and develop a clear direction for Tangkak's development.
"We will then formulate concrete plans and use them to engage the Johor government and relevant agencies," he said.
Haw said the think-tank would initially focus on gathering views from local youths, although he remained open to ideas from outside the constituency.
"For a start, I want Tangkak people to tell me what they think Tangkak needs. If there are good ideas from elsewhere, we are always open to them," he said.
He added that aligning Tangkak's development plans with the state's Maju Johor 2030 blueprint would also be a priority.
"We need to work closely with the state government so that Tangkak can fully benefit from the development initiatives under Maju Johor 2030," he said.
Haw said the campaign gave him the chance to get to know more people across the constituency and that he looked forward to continuing those interactions as their elected representative.
"I enjoyed meeting people and walking around the constituency.
"I believe listening to their concerns, understanding their lives and helping them will be part of my life for the next few years," he said.
He also thanked Tangkak voters for their support and said he would work hard to live up to the trust they had placed in him.
