Nomadic candidates should be rejected
JOHOR BAHRU, March 30 (Bernama) -- The people should reject nomadic candidates and instead choose those who are committed to champion the cause of the people and their welfare.
Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said the people had had enough of the negative impacts left by the nomadic candidates who only came once in every five years.
"How can anyone be chosen out of anger, frustration and due to the anti-establishment element. Eventually we (the people) had to accept the consequences due to the wrong selection made.
"The nomadic candidates must be rejected. Enough of accepting nomadic candidates, (instead) choose committed candidates," he said at the ceremony to hand over the house-keys of the Desa Jaya resettlement apartments, here today.
According to Ahmad Zahid, the efforts of a handful of people who fielded nomadic candidates who came only once in every five years were merely to instill hatred among the people and later left their 'dirt' to move to another area every five years.
Ahmad Zahid also praised the leadership of Johor Bahru Member of Parliament Tan Sri Shahrir Abdul Samad who succeeded in championing the welfare of the people to the extent of receiving state and federal government aid.
"I am proud of Tan Sri Shahrir, whose struggles for the people had never changed from his younger days to the present time," said the Deputy Prime Minister.
Ahmad Zahid said Shahrir's leadership was a translation and success which were linked to the leadership at the grassroots level which succeeded in voicing their desires to the elected leader.
He said this might not be successful if there was no synchronisation and consensus between the state and federal governments.
"It is not impossible to implement these things because we are under the same banner.
The banners here (state) and in Putrajaya are the same. There must be relationship...this strength must have continuity for the people generally," he said.
Earlier, he also approved an allocation of RM8 million for the Johor Bahru Parliamentary constituency.
A sum of RM5 million would be utilised for repainting 2,720 units of apartments in four settlement areas - Desa Belantik, Desa Melayu, Desa Dato Hajah Hasnah and Desa Jaya, RM1 million for improving the hall at Kampung Kurnia, near Larkin and RM2 million for distribution to community associations, policing associations and non-governmental organisations in the parliamentary constituency.
At the event, Ahmad Zahid handed over house-keys to some of the recipients of the Desa Jaya resettlement scheme here.
Besides Shahrir, also present at the event were Johor Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Mohamed Khaled Nordin, Deputy Minister of Urban Wellbeing, Housing and Local Government Datuk Halimah
Mohamed Sadique and State Secretary Datuk Azmi Rohani.
-- BERNAMA
