Going the whole nine yards
The new Negri Sembilan government under Pakatan Harapan will do all it can to improve the state and well-being of the people.
AMINUDDIN Harun does not have an ounce of regret for deciding to quit Umno on the very day Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim was sacked as the party’s deputy president on Sept 2, 1998.
He was only 31 and had a bright future in the party, having held several positions in Teluk Kemang Umno Youth. The division was helmed by then mentri besar Tan Sri Mohd Isa Samad.
Aminuddin then joined PKR and in 2008, contested the Sikamat state seat, a Barisan Nasional bastion. He was only one of three PKR candidates who won that year.
In the 2013 polls when Barisan fared better in Negri Sembilan, he retained the seat with a 510-vote majority.
On May 9, he scored a hattrick when he won the seat again, with a much higher majority of 3,413 votes.
Three days later, he was sworn in as the eighth Mentri Besar.
An old boy of SK Port Dickson and a UiTM business administration graduate, Aminuddin, 51, shares his thoughts and plans for Negri Sembilan, a month after he was made MB, and about his state exco team, whether it has the calibre to steer the state to greater prosperity.
You were a two-term opposition assemblyman and now have a huge task as MB.
Having served a decade as an assemblyman has taught me many things. There have been many ups and downs; having invitations cancelled at the last minute or being isolated during prayers at mosques were a norm. Some people were simply afraid to even be seen with me. But that is all part of politics.
As MB now, my priority is to ensure all public complaints are addressed promptly. Like this morning, a constituent called and complained that the tree right outside his house was in danger of uprooting. I immediately called the municipal council head and it was done.
I plan to turn a section at the ground floor of my office at Wisma Negeri into a one-stop centre for the rakyat to file their grouses.
We have to make ourselves easily accessible to the rakyat for their continued support and confidence in us.
What are your immediate plans?
For the time being, we will continue with the policies of the previous government and tweak wherever necessary.
We will set up a task force to ensure all the pledges we made prepolls are fulfilled. These include giving financial aid of between RM500 and RM1,000 to those pursuing certificate, diploma and degree programmes and an annual RM200 aid for single mothers.
For the first time, there will be a non-Muslim affairs portfolio in the state executive committee. Why do you think this is necessary?
We live in a multiracial society, so it is important for the government to have a specific section that looks into the well-being of non-Muslims too. Since religion is a very sensitive issue, we need to deal with issues affecting the adherents of other faiths in the best possible manner. That, to me, is the best way to preserve and promote peace and har- mony. We also need the portfolio as we are planning to give allocations to places of worship that are registered and properly run.
Can Negri folk look forward to some of the benefits enjoyed by people in other states run by the Pakatan Harapan government like Selangor? For example, free water and health cards.
I have to make it clear that we did not make any such promises in our manifesto. In fact, I checked with Syarikat Air Negeri Sembilan if we could provide the people with free water but was told that the water concessionaire was not in a position to do so yet.
We can’t give the RM500 free medical card like in Selangor because we do not have the financial means. We will look into these things once we have the means to do so.
This is the first time a non-Barisan government is governing the state. You think you have a good enough team to execute your responsibilities?
I have complete faith in my exco line-up. We have a mix of former senior government servants as well as personnel from the corporate sector – educationists, lawyers, an engineer, social activists. We even have exco members who are in their early 30s such as the Lukut and Nilai assemblymen. I must say that I am impressed with what I have seen in the first three exco meetings.
What about the civil servants who have served under Barisan rule for decades? Do you have their support?
There are still some hardcore Barisan supporters working in the government. We have transferred two senior people whom we think are not suited to our style. I hope the rest will be loyal to the government of the day and help us execute our policies. They must adjust to the new environment because times have changed.
Three-term ex-mentri besar Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan will likely be the opposition leader in the state assembly. Many see him as the man behind Negri’s success story thus far. Do you foresee problems facing him in the assembly?
It is not only Tok Mat that I will have to contend with but 15 other Barisan reps including the former Speaker who are immensely experienced. We will be ready for them and will not hide anything. We will also give them enough time to debate on matters in the House. And if they give us constructive criticism, we will be more than glad to accept it.
Tell us about your plans to ensure the state continues to enjoy good economic growth.
We will continue to adopt a very business-friendly approach. We want more new investors and will encourage existing ones to up their investments in Negri Sembilan.
This includes SMEs and even smaller businesses. In fact, days after we were sworn in, we gladly approved an application by a multinational to invest another RM1bil here.
I have already told my team that we have to continue to attract investors, especially those specialising in hi-tech and green technology.
Your thoughts on the ambitious Malaysian Vision Valley project. Would your government support it?
The state government will merely coordinate the project to develop the new Seremban- Nilai- Port Dickson growth triangle. The private sector will fund the MVV project while the Federal Government will provide the funds for the infrastructure.
We will certainly continue with the MVV as it will bring lots of benefits to the state as well as the people by way of job creation and development.
Tourism has been synonymous with Negri Sembilan. But apart from Port Dickson and its famous beaches, what else do you plan to do to up tourist arrivals?
The reason I have taken over the tourism portfolio clearly shows how serious we are in promoting the sector. We saw a fall in tourist arrivals last year. Also, every seven in 10 tourists to the state come to PD and not other places.
We must find ways to market our tourism products better to boost the local economy. Negri has many ecotourism products, homestays, hot water springs, mountains, etc. These have to be rebranded.
Do you support the plan by the previous government to rehabilitate the Seremban-Port Dickson rail stretch, which has been abandoned for almost 10 years?
Certainly. I have already conveyed this to the new Transport Minister and hope this is given priority.