Dzulkefly Ahmad says Kota Iskandar’s growth must bring real benefits to residents, not just reflect in investment figures and economic numbers.
JOHOR BAHRU: Kota Iskandar’s status as the seat of the Johor state administration and a hub for major development projects must bring tangible benefits to the people, not merely be reflected in investment figures and economic growth, said the Pakatan Harapan (PH) candidate contesting the seat in the Johor state election.
Dzulkefly Ahmad said feedback gathered during the campaign showed that several basic issues remained a source of concern for residents and required more comprehensive solutions.
He said the issues most frequently raised included infrastructure, traffic congestion, flooding, the land status of places of worship, educational facilities and the need to improve public amenities.
“With investments worth RM110 billion, state revenue of RM2.67 billion and state reserves amounting to RM2.8 billion, the people should be able to enjoy the benefits of such development. We should not merely focus on the numbers while those on the ground do not experience the benefits,” he told Bernama.
Dzulkefly said among the issues requiring attention was the land ownership status of several non-Muslim places of worship, including Ladang Lam Sam Temple in Kangkar Pulai, which has yet to obtain a resolution over its land title even though the land had already been surrendered to the state government for it to be awarded to the temple.
He also said there was a need to upgrade the shortcut to the Tamil national-type school in the Nusantara area via Bukit Tempurung, which remains unpaved, while traffic congestion along the FT005 and J07 routes connecting Johor Bahru and Gelang Patah continued to irk residents.
According to him, the frequent flooding in Kampung Baru Muafakat and Kampung Pulai, as well as unresolved land ownership issues involving residents of Kampung Pulai Mutiara despite the area’s regularisation process having been completed, also required attention.
He said these issues could only be resolved through coordination among the relevant agencies and not ad hoc measures.
“I find that some of the solutions implemented previously were temporary and ad hoc in nature. What is needed are long-term solutions that can comprehensively ease congestion because it affects the daily lives of residents,” he said.
Dzulkefly also pledged to pursue the construction of a new public market in Gelang Patah should PH be given the mandate to form the Johor state government in the election on July 11.
He said the existing facility, known as Taman Nusa Perintis Market, faced several issues, including land ownership, parking space and infrastructure that no longer met the needs of the rapidly growing area.
“Therefore, if PH forms the government, we will ensure that a new public market is built there because Gelang Patah is no ordinary area. The state administrative centre is located here, as are the Port of Tanjung Pelepas, Legoland and Puteri Harbour,” he said.
On his campaign approach, Dzulkefly said face-to-face engagement would remain his priority to enable him to hear the people’s concerns directly, while also leveraging social media and emerging technologies, including artificial intelligence, to engage young voters and Generation Z.
The Kota Iskandar constituency, which has 132,579 registered voters, is seeing a four-cornered contest involving Dzulkefly, Perikatan Nasional (PN) candidate S. Anna Pravina, incumbent Datuk Pandak Ahmad representing Barisan Nasional (BN) and Sahrudin Omar of Parti Bersama Malaysia (Bersama).
For the latest updates on the 16th Johor state election, visit https://prn.bernama.com/johor/.
N49: KOTA ISKANDAR – 132,579 voters
1. S. Anna Pravina (PN-MIPP)
2. Dzulkefly Ahmad (PH-Amanah)
3. Datuk Pandak Ahmad (BN-UMNO)
4. Sahrudin Omar (Bersama)
(2022: Datuk Pandak Ahmad: BN-UMNO: Maj: 4,360)
