PETALING JAYA: The incoming Malacca government must be fair to the Portuguese community despite their political affiliations, community leader Marina Danker said.
Danker told The Malaysian Insight that whichever party takes over the state government should help the community regardless of who they voted for.
âThat will be the mark of good leadership. The state government must be fair to everybody. Help us fairly and equally.
âWe need them (the new government) to come down and not see whether the people here are Barisan Nasional, Perikatan Nasional or Pakatan Harapan (supporters),â she said.
Danker, who heads the Portuguese settlement community development and safety committee, said the new state government must understand that the people need them.
âTheir job is to look after the people during this time (of epidemic).
âSo whoever the government is after the elections, they shouldnât judge the people on which party they supported.â
She also pointed out that any party in the state government needs to see that they (the Portuguese settlement community) are also their people.
âSo, everybody should be given the same treatment. Donât pick and choose,â Danker said.
As for the issues they are facing in the settlement, she said that most people have lost their jobs because of the pandemic.
âIt affected the community badly. The various movement control orders hit the residents hard as two thirds of them are from the B40 group.
âMost of the youths here worked in the hotel industry. They have lost their jobs. All these people need assistance.â
Currently, there are close to 1,000 people living in 118 homes in the settlement. Another 600 residents stay in the surrounding areas.
Malacca polls will take place on Nov 20 after four assemblymen withdrew support for Chief Minister Datuk Seri Sulaiman Md Ali and his Umno-led government, which led to the dissolution of the state legislative assembly.
