Monday, February 25, 2008

The battle for Kampung Tunku

Tough fight: Sheah (left) will be taking on Lau for the Kampung Tunku state seat.

LAWYER Sheah Kok Fah is the new flag-bearer for the MCA in the contest for the Kampung Tunku state seat in Selangor.

Sheah, 43, a former councillor with the then Petaling Jaya Municipal Council (MPPJ), was named as the candidate on Thursday.

Sheah said he was joining the political fray with equal measures of excitement and trepidation, as the battle was a tough one.

He said that while upgrading the existing infrastructures in the constituency was on his priority list, his main concern was to improve security in the area.

“The previous assemblyman must be credited for doing a good job, and I will continue with upgrading work in the area, particularly in the older housing estates like Taman Paramount and Taman Len Seng,” Sheah said.

“However, security is the main concern in my election manifesto. I believe public security and safety can be improved through more patrolling by the residents and police, and through using facilities such as CCTVs,” he said.

Sheah has also pledged to look after the welfare of the schools within the constituency.

Sheah said he would set out to build closer ties with the residents assocations, Rukun Tetangga units and other NGOs to better serve the needs of the people.

Slated to meet Sheah in a straight fight is 30-year-old DAP candidate Lau Weng San.

Lau, the political secretary of DAP secretary-general Lim Guan Eng, is also making his electoral debut.

Besides seeking to improve public security and safety, Lau said his major task was to provide a vigilant check-and-balance to the local authority to ensure better and transparent town planning and maintenance.

“This is to avoid non-beneficial projects and waste of public funds,” he said.
First-timers: Gu (left) and Cheah are expected to battle it out in Damansara Utama.

Besides Lau, the DAP will also be fielding newcomer Dr Cheah Wing Yin, possibly for the Damansara Utama state seat.

Cheah, 53, was a political activist in the DAP during the last two general elections, but formally joined the party only last year.

Cheah, a private consultant physician, said his aim was to create greater interaction among residents to lessen their sense of alienation and apathy towards the political arena.

“It seems that the people have grown more disenchanted and apathetic towards what happens in the local government,” he said.

“What I am concerned about is that the local residents are increasingly feeling that they don’t have a part to play in the society and its political processes,” Cheah said.

If Cheah contests in Damansara Utama, he will face Victor Gu of the MCA, also a first-time candidate.