Cheah Chee Hong prioritises rubbish collection, internet and electricity issues as key concerns for Kukup voters in the Johor state election.
JOHOR BAHRU: As the Johor state election campaign enters its final phase and political parties increasingly turn to national issues, Pakatan Harapan (PH) candidate for the Kukup seat, Cheah Chee Hong, has opted for a different approach by focusing entirely on local issues.
He said voters now want to hear solutions to the problems they face every day rather than debates on national politics.
“Today, I don’t want to talk about politics or national issues because everyone already sees those every day on social media. I only want to talk about Kukup,” he told Bernama when contacted here today.
Cheah said that after more than a week of campaigning, he managed to visit various areas in Kukup and listened firsthand to residents’ grievances before identifying the priorities that should be addressed if elected as their representative.
According to him, among the issues most frequently raised were the long-standing problem of poor rubbish collection, weak internet coverage and unstable electricity supply, which has damaged residents’ electrical appliances.
He said resolving these basic issues must be the priority before Kukup can be developed into a national-level tourist destination.
Cheah also outlined proposals to upgrade infrastructure, including roads, street lighting, parking facilities and tourism amenities, as well as strengthen cooperation with the Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture (MOTAC) to promote Kukup.
He said Kukup’s strategic location near Johor Bahru, the upcoming Johor Bahru-Singapore Rapid Transit System, and its position within the Johor-Singapore Special Economic Zone are advantages that should be leveraged to boost tourism and the local economy.
Cheah also proposed establishing a large-scale night market to provide business opportunities for local residents, with the aim of increasing their income while attracting more tourists.
He said he hoped his campaign, centred on solving local issues, would convince voters ahead of polling day, while also urging Kukup natives living outside the constituency to return home to fulfil their voting responsibility.
Kukup is seeing a straight fight between Cheah and Barisan Nasional candidate Md Israk Abdullah.
Early voting is today while polling will be held on July 11.
For the latest updates on the 16th Johor State Election, visit https://prn.bernama.com/johor.
