State polls: Pakatan candidates join forces to woo Lunas, Kulim voters

ALOR SETAR: Two first-time Pakatan Harapan candidates are joining forces to woo voters in Lunas and Kulim in Kedah for the state polls.

Lunas candidate Shamsul Anuar Abdullah and Kulim candidate Teh Lean Ong, both from PKR, said by working together during their campaign trail, it was easier to approach voters.

“Kulim and Lunas are not very different, I’m here to help him (Shamsul Anuar) to approach Chinese voters, while he helps me when we go to the Malay areas.

“I think this way is approachable and more muhibbah,” said Teh, 47, who is also known as Awang.

“Malays and Indians call me Teh while the Chinese community call me Wang, so I decided to take a common name and after getting blessings from my mother, I started using the name Awang Teh,” he explained when he and Shamsul Anuar were spotted during their campaign trail at Taman Selasih in Kulim on Saturday (Aug5).

He dismissed some of his detractors who accused him of using that name to fish for Malay votes during the state polls.

The former political secretary to former Kulim-Bandar Baharu MP Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail said he would promote agro-tourism if he is given the mandate to become the state assemblyman for Kulim.

“Kulim is famous for its black thorn durian in Junjong, so it would be a perfect opportunity for Kulim to be the place for durian lovers to visit, just like Balik Pulau in Penang is the place where people go to eat good durian,” he added.

Teh said he will also encourage those who have extra land in their villages to create a community garden in their respective villages and plant their own vegetables.

He added that a vegetable collection centre can be built to help villagers sell their crops.

“This would increase villagers’ income and I hope to see eco-tourism places such as Sedim and Junjong to flourish in Kulim.

If elected, he said he would secure allocation from the federal government to buy extra land for the development of the Kulim High Tech Park (KHTP).

He said the KHTP Phase 3 is almost at its full capacity and extra space is needed to build more factories in the technology park.

“But this only can be achieved if the unity pact forms the new state government after the state polls,” he said.

Teh is facing a straight fight against Perikatan Nasional candidate Wong Chia Zhen from Gerakan.

In GE14, PKR’s Yeo Keng Chuan won the seat with 3,795 majority votes, defeating Chuah Thiong Gee (MCA), Mohd Khari Mohd Salleh (PAS) and Lee Ah Leong (PRM) in a four-cornered fight.

Shamsul Anuar, 63, said campaigning together with Teh has helped reduce some stress and exhaustion.

“In this way, we help each other approach voters in both the constituencies,” he explained, adding that his campaigning has so far been receptive.

A former teacher, Shamsul Anuar is concerned with the lack of activities and a place for youths in Lunas to spend their free time.

“From my observation, many of them, especially the youths, are involved in illegal racing and I would like to put a stop to that,” he said.

He said if given the mandate, he will work with relevant agencies to curb illegal racing by holding various activities for the youths in Lunas.

He also wants to repair poorly maintained roads and work closely with the local council and relevant federal agencies to solve traffic congestion issues.

The Padang Serai PKR division chief said a proper food court should be built to enable hawkers to sell food and drinks systematically and in a more hygienic environment.

Shamsul Anuar will face a five-cornered fight with Perikatan’s Khairul Anuar Ramli and three Independents – N. Rajendran, Pannir Selvam Suppiah and Arichindarem Sinnapaven.