State polls: Local lad and ex-councillors hope to address main issues in Kota Damansara

Being a local lad from Selangor’s Kampung Melayu Subang might give Perikatan Nasional’s (Perikatan) Kota Damansara candidate Mohd Radzlan Jalaludin a slight edge when wooing voters in his area.

The 43-year-old Bersatu member who went for a walkabout at the village farmer’s market on the second day of his campaign trail was quick to get acquainted with the traders.

“My parents live just behind the surau next to the market and I was active in the activities there.

“Some of the people here already know me.

“I will meet as many people as possible during the first week of my campaign trail and maybe speak at a ceramah (political speech) on my second week,” he told StarMetro.

Mohd Radzlan said local issues such as floods and poor rubbish collection were some of the problems raised by the people.

“Flooding in the village has been happening for the past 20 years and drastic measures are needed to address it.”

On other matters he wanted to address, the lawyer said, “Despite the convenience of the Damansara-Shah Alam Elevated Expressway, residents here still face traffic congestion.

“These are some of the issues that I will look into if given the opportunity to serve,” he added.

Muhammad Izuan (left) meeting traders at the Kampung Melayu Subang farmer’s market in Sungai Buloh.

Pakatan Harapan’s (Pakatan) Kota Damansara candidate Muhammad Izuan Ahmad Kasim also visited Kampung Melayu Subang farmer’s market on the first day of his campaign trail.

He said he was happy greeting and meeting people in the morning walkabout accompanied by local community leaders.

“As a former Shah Alam City Council (MBSA) councillor, I am quite familiar with issues pertaining to the area.

“One of the common problems the people here face is the traffic bottleneck at Persiaran Atmosfera.

“If given the chance to serve the electorate here, I will raise the matter at the state level.

“Being a councillor gives me the advantage as I know how local authorities work,” he said, adding that this was something he could offer to Kota Damansara people.

Muhammad Izuan said he would also look into holistic town planning in Kota Damansara.

“There are some developments that do not follow the master plan and I hope to address that.

“With certain areas that have existed for some time, there is a need for urbanisation,” he said.

Sivarajan (left) reaching out to voters at Dataran Sunway, Kota Damansara.

Meanwhile, Parti Sosialis Malaysia’s (PSM) candidate Sivarajan Arumugum acknowledged that he was the underdog in Kota Damansara.

“We are a small party and big coalitions like Pakatan and Perikatan will most probably form the state government.

“However, there is a need for check and balance and we want to be the third force representing the people.

“We hope to be given a chance to highlight matters close to the people that are sometimes left out by the bigger political groupings,” he said.

The 54-year-old former MBSA councillor is also one of PSM’s founders and has been serving the people of Subang, Sungai Buloh and Kota Damansara since 1998.

In his manifesto, he highlighted the need for low-cost housing, infrastructure upgrades and the need for a people’s consultative council (majlis perundingan rakyat or MPR).

“MPR is not new, it was introduced during the time of former Kota Damansara assemblyman Dr Mohd Nasir Hashim.

“The MPR is where residents’ representatives discuss what they need for their neighbourhoods and have a say in how the state’s allocation will be utilised,” said Sivarajan.

In the 2018 general election, Shatiri Mansor from Pakatan-PKR won Kota Damansara with a 15,703 majority in a four-cornered fight against Barisan-Umno’s Datuk Halimaton Saadiah Bohan, Siti Rohaya Ahad from PAS and Sivarajan.