PAGOH, March 5 — Despite coming from different parties, three of four candidates contesting in the Johor state election share the vision of providing affordable homes for the people apart from focusing on education issues in Bukit Kepong state constituency.
Met by Bernama in the field, they said the housing issue must be given focus to enable the people to own homes, other than the status of Pagoh as an education hub.
Barisan Nasional (BN) candidate Ismail Mohamed said that he wanted to resolve three abandoned housing projects, namely, the second-generation houses at Moakil Felda scheme, Sungai Meda Bukit Kepong and Pekan Lenga.
Ismail, who was the Bukit Serampang (now known as Bukit Kepong) assemblyman in 2013, said he had conducted a community needs study in the area and the issue frequently raised was affordable homes, especially by the younger generation.
“From my study, I see the people in the Bukit Kepong sub-district need houses. This is important as once the housing issue is settled, it will also open up trading and employment opportunities to local residents,” he said.
On the younger generation, the Pagoh Umno division chief said, he had set up the Pagoh Perdana Foundation when he was the elected representative to help youth who wanted to continue their studies and also delivered all sorts of aid for starting business.
“Most youths have an interest in business such as selling products of small and medium industries (IKS)…we continued to implement guidance programmes even though I was not elected but we continued to help,” he said.
In the four-corner fight at the Bukit Kepong state seat, Ismail would be facing incumbent Datuk Dr Sahruddin Jamal from Perikatan Nasional (PN), who was the former Menteri Besar of Johor besides two other candidates Md Taib Md Suhut from Parti Pejuang Tanahair (Pejuang) and Nur Afiqah M Zulkifli from Ikatan Demokratik Malaysia (Muda).
Dr Sahruddin said the increasingly rapid development in the Bukit Kepong state constituency required that people’s housing project be given the focus.
Since Pagoh had been elevated into an education hub, there was a need to provide more housing projects and infrastructure to accommodate the need of students and the teaching fraternity here, he said.
“I want to focus on affordable homes for the people in the Bukit Kepong constituency because there are universities, hostels and schools in this area, as such housing projects are much needed, and will simultaneously spur the economic growth here,” he said.
In addition, Dr Sahruddin, who is optimistic that he would retain the Bukit Kepong seat, said he wanted to help more farmers in the area which is synonymous with durian and rubber, to stimulate the agriculture sector to be more developed and competitive.
For Md Taib, who is contesting for the first time, his hope was to boost the level of education of drop-outs by setting up a vocational education centre to guide and hone the talents of the group.
He said the youths should not be allowed to wander aimlessly and it was the role of the elected representative to help build their future, apart from the support of parents, teachers and communities.
“Their skills and talents must be honed, more so now when they have to compete to get a job.
“It is my hope to offer vocational training service by setting up a community centre which is complete with amenities and study access to the young and the Orang Asli community,” he added.
Based on the data of the Election Commission (EC) which was updated as of Jan 21, the Bukit Kepong State seat, which is under the Pagoh Parliamentary constituency has 37,495 voters.
The EC had set polling day on March 12 while early voting is on March 8. — Bernama