GREAT! BUT WHY ONLY NOW?

It's great that at last the Pakatan Rakyat (People's Pact), which currently is the Selangor State Government, have come out with a statement of policies to address local issues Selangor residents are concerned about.

However, why only now, on the eve of the audience of Selangor's embattled Chief Minister Tan Sri Khalid with HRH the Sultan of Selangor, at which Tan Sri Khalid may either tender his resignation, call for a dissolution of the State Assembly and fresh state elections or call for an emergency meeting of the State Assembly which will move a motion of no-confidence against him?

As stated before, dissolution of the State Assembly state elections to elect a new State Assembly would be the best outcome, since it gives Selangor voters a chance to have their say on who rules over us until the next general elections in 2018.

We most probably will still have a Pakatan Rakyat state government, perhaps with s smaller majority and some new faces, but at the end of the day, it will be a fresh start of Selangor after the water crisis, KiDEX, rise in dengue cases, rubbish collection problems, Iban Bibble issue, pot holed roads and so forth.

Then again, whether they live up to their promises is another question, which is left to be seen.

Below is a report by The Malaysian Insider on Pakatan Rakyat's promise.

Read on.

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Pakatan to focus on housing, water and transport despite Selangor MB impasse BY SHERIDAN MAHAVERA

Published: 25 August 2014


Selangor might be a wealthy state but there are still problems with basic services, such as rubbish collection. – The Malaysian Insider pic, August 25, 2014.Water, housing and public transport are among the top issues that PKR will focus on once the party regains the top post in the Selangor administration from Tan Sri Abdul Khalid Ibrahim, who is the menteri besar without any majority support. 

While it is not known how long Khalid wants to keep the post or call snap polls, PKR has decided its agenda includes a relook at all mega projects in the state which have a big foot print on existing communities, such as the six new tolled highway projects that crisscross the Klang Valley.  

At the same time, there will be an easing on public spending so that the state’s huge reserves are efficiently and transparently spent on basic services, such as road repair and rubbish collection.

PKR deputy president Azmin Ali revealed the plans to The Malaysian Insider as the party prepares to possibly take back the helm of the country’s richest state as soon as next week.

Pakatan Rakyat (PR) has submitted the name of PKR president Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail to the Selangor palace to replace Khalid, who was sacked by the party.

Azmin has been a staunch critic of Khalid’s administration. PKR ally PAS wants him as a candidate to replace Khalid but Azmin has quashed this, said saying that he backs Dr Wan Azizah.  

In the case of the new six highways, it also represents a new approach that the party wants to take when it comes to dealing with possible public protest towards state policy. 

Khalid’s administration was criticised by some Selangor residents and PR’s own lawmakers for its handling of the highway projects.

They accused the administration of ignoring PR's pledge to be more responsive to public feedback before implementing projects. 

Another PKR leader Rafizi Ramli, who is Pandan MP, said the new administration should consider scrapping one of the six highways, the Kinrara-Damansara Expressway (Kidex), since the coalition’s Selangor lawmakers opposed it.

“The new menteri besar should decide collectively with Pakatan Rakyat what position we will take on the project and apply it to the other projects as well,” said Rafizi, who is a PKR vice-president.

The federal government-approved RM2.42 billion Kidex project has attracted stiff protests from Petaling Jaya residents, a majority of whom voted for the PR in the last general election.  

The company involved wants to build a massive elevated highway that will cut through some of the city’s oldest neighbourhoods.

The public fallout over the project was one of the reasons PKR decided to expel Khalid – once one of their most popular leaders – after deciding the administration did not justify it adequately.

Azmin, who leads Selangor PR lawmakers in the assembly, said a pressing problem was Selangor’s water supply and the state’s water-restructuring deal with the federal government.  

“The restructuring agreements will have to be looked at but the most pertinent is that we must find a holistic solution to solve our shortage whether it is raw water or treated water.

“This is so that projects are not postponed because of inadequate supply,” Azmin said when met after the 10th PKR Congress in Shah Alam.  

Khalid’s administration has signed an agreement with the federal government to take back parts of the water industry from three private companies.

The deal states that management of treatment plants and the distribution system will be handled by a state government-owned company.

In return, the state will allow the Barisan Nasional (BN) federal government to go ahead with the RM 3.8 billion Langat 2 water treatment and transfer project.

Khalid has said that the state’s privatised water industry was the reason there were shortages in treated water supply. Water cuts were especially bad this year because of a pro-longed drought.      

Azmin added that the new administration would also need to work with federal agencies to build more affordable homes and deal with the Klang Valley’s traffic problems.

“Currently we are subsidising about RM 80,000 for each unit of affordable housing we build and it’s a burden for us.

“We need to work with PR1MA (1Malaysia Public Housing Scheme) to help us build more. Selangor has the land but we need help with investment into these schemes.”

Azmin said discussions would also have to be started with the Land Public Transport Commission (SPAN) on designing a public transport master plan for Selangor.

When it comes to Kidex and the five other highway projects, Azmin said the new administration would have to consult the public first before giving any approvals.

“Pakatan Rakyat’s stand is to consult the public first before any policies are done. Unfortunately, this was not done.  

“In this case, the public should be consulted much earlier before the project was approved.”

Besides Kidex, three other highways, SUKE, EKVE and DASH, have been opposed by communities lying along their respective alignments.

Azmin did not discount the possibility that these projects would be cancelled.

“If we study the reports and find that the projects have problems, we would have to review them or possibly scrap them.”  

The state’s RM3 billion reserves would also be spent efficiently and transparently on repairing and upgrading public amenities throughout Selangor.

Another criticism of Khalid was that his administration was too tight-fisted in giving out development funds to the local authorities and elected representatives.

“Keeping reserves is important but spending them for the public is also important. We will follow rules and financial procedures when spending the money,” said Azmin.

“Because we cannot have RM3 billion in reserves but pot holes not patched and rubbish not being picked up.” – August 25, 2014.

http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/malaysia/article/pakatan-government-to-focus-on-housing-water-and-transport-despite-selangor