KUALA LUMPUR, May 3 – It is not impossible for Barisan Nasional (BN) to wrest from the opposition the Seri Andalas state seat in Selangor based on the people’s overwhelming response to the Barisan Nasional (BN) government’s transformation programmes.
A check on the ground by Bernama showed the constituents’ response have been very encouraging as they realised the various programmes and initiatives taken by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak have brought greater benefits to ensure a better future for the people.
BN candidate for Seri Andalas, T. Mohan, who is in the last lap of the race to capture the seat, believes the people are with BN and the coalition can garner two-thirds majority.
“The new wave of support for BN is the outcome of Najib’s hard work and strategic planning to solve people’s problems and honouring the promises made.
“Everyone can see the government has implemented the transformation programme effectively to ease the people’s burden. The government is sincere in implementing the programme and not just for fun merely to gain popularity,” he told Bernama.
As to the people’s support for Mohan, who is also MIC youth chief, the locals have described him as “a man of the people and for the people of Seri Andalas”, for giving his personal attention to the people’s woes.
He has been visiting the constituency and meeting the people daily since December last year to find out the problems faced by the constituents in the suburan seat. Dubbed as an “Indian Michael Chong”, the father of three boys has been spending most of his walkabouts listening to the local residents’ problems and taking remedial actions to unresolved issues.
The 40-year-old businessman, who has been working round-the-clock with his Tamil news reader wife, M. Logeswari, had met some 35,000 voters from all walks of life, pledging to solve their long-standing problems which were not solved by the incumbent PKR state assemblyman.
In a meet-the-people session, Mohan told 1,000 people that he was born to a middle-class family and he has been a true witness of the socio-economic plight of the minorities, especially the Indians, in making a decent living for themselves.
“I was not born with a silver spoon in my mouth as my father was a taxi driver then. I became successful in a hard way with good guidance. Today, I’m asking you to vote for me so I can create successful people in a family, your socio-economic status can be better,” he said.
As Mohan went on telling his life story, the people stood up and applauded while some were seen wiping their tears.
In the 2008 general election, Mohan contested and lost in Batu Caves state seat in his first attempt to become an assemblyman.
Mohan says the shift in support to BN was clearly visible in this election as people are frustrated over the unkept promises by Pakatan Rakyat leaders on issues such as poor maintenance of apartments, lift breakdowns, clogged drains and welfare scheme for the poor.
Pledging to solve the common problems in the constituency if he is elected, Mohan, who is fondly known as “Abang Mohan”, said BN had realised its past mistakes and Najib, as BN chairman, had openly apologised to the people.
“If BN were to repeat the mistakes, then there is no survival for the coalition,” he said.
Seri Andalas has a mixed electorate of 56,806, with the middle-and upper middle-class outnumbering low-income earners, is locked in a five-way fight between PKR’s incumbent Dr Xavier Jayakumar and three Independents, K.S. Kottappan, Hanafiah Husin and P. Uthayakumar.
The constituency is also uniquely known for having the highest concentration of Indians at 36 per cent in a state seat, Malays make up 39 per cent and Chinese 24 per cent.
In the last general election, Xavier defeated BN’s A. Komala Ganapathy from MIC by 10,203-vote majority N. Veerasingam, 41, from Taman Sentosa, says he sees Mohan as the “new man” for renewed hope of the people here to solve their common problems such as snatch theft, clogged drains and water supply disruption as he has been on the ground working hard over the last two months.
“With the previous government failing to address our needs, the problems hae worsened. More potholes have appeared in Taman Sentosa, leading to accidents and slow traffic movements,” he told Bernama.
While, S. Ashok Kumar, 48, of Taman Mewah Jaya, said Najib’s sincerity in seeking apology from the people, especially to the Indians, for the past mistakes made, had touched his heart.
And Mohan, in his campaign rounds and walkabouts, had made the people feel he was like a family member. That’s a good feeling, showing that he is sincere and genuine,” he said.
Echoing a similar sentiment, two senior citizens — Wong Wei Lin and Maimunah Saad, both in their 70s, said they had confidence in Mohan to be a state assemblyman with the people’s interests at heart.
BERNAMA
