Media Statement by Johor DAP Publicity Secretary and Senai State Assemblyman Wong Shu Qi by 26th January 2017 (Thursday):
It is the biggest joke ever that a Menter Besar criticised the opposition for not “providing service” to people
It is unfortunate that our Menteri Besar, Khaled Nordin chose to make a mockery of himself by a fallacious criticism against the opposition for “not providing service to the people”
As Menteri Besar, Khaled Nordin should know clearly that it is his responsibility to ensure the needs and welfare of the people of Johor are taken care off. Thus, when people go to the opposition, it means that his government has failed in their tasks.
I am shocked that a politician of Khaled Nordin’s stature would follow MCA’s outdated script when criticising the opposition. For years, MCA had criticised the opposition for not providing the so-called “service” to the people. To MCA, “to provide service” usually means, running errands at government agencies and lodging complaints on behalf of the people.
This is the problem and therefore failure of the Barisan Nasional government.
Both MCA and UMNO are ruling parties. However, corruption, abuse of power and bad governance caused failure in the public delivery service. As such, MCA representatives from the lowest to the highest level, and now unfortunately the Menteri Besar himself, became highly paid drain checkers and health inspectors to make up for the failure of the local and state government delivery services.
When even that failed and the people come to the opposition to voice their grouses, it showed that the government is utterly dysfunctional.
Take for example the recent slip up in the Plentong chinese cemetery in the Johor Bahru draft local plan caused by the blunder of MCA councillors. Only after the opposition and local residents objected and MCA created a fracas in the media did the Menteri Besar intervened to “resolve” the matter.
Is this the kind of “service” Khaled Nordin was referring to?
We can understand if MCA make such ridiculous criticism against the opposition. This was because they wanted to divert the attention away from their failure to improve the public delivery system. Their role as highly paid drain checkers is proof of their failure as part of the ruling party.
Therefore, I am very surprised that Khaled himself would now parrot MCA’s desperate line. Blaming the opposition for not providing service to people should be the last thing a Menteri Besar should say. If there is a request from people, the government should take action immediately and not blame the opposition. By the time the opposition had to voice up on basic issues like local government services, it means the government is utterly dysfunctional. It means, it is now time to change the government.
As such, I hereby urge Khaled Nordin to improve the standard and quality of service of his government instead of blaming the opposition. He should not make himself a laughing stock by blaming the opposition for not “providing service” to people. However, if he himself feels that the government is such a failure that the opposition needs to stand in, I want to tell him that, we are ready to replace his dysfunctional government anytime and we are committed to provide better public delivery to the people.
Wong Shu Qi