‘DON’T ASSUME PENANG REPS FAILED TO LISTEN TO THE PEOPLE’

A PENANG executive councillor dismissed claims that the state’s assemblymen failed to listen to the people’s plight just because none of them attended a forum on Saturday.

PKR’s Dr Afif Bahardin, who is the Seberang Jaya assemblyman, said Penang Forum had the right to organise the “Peduli Rakyat” forum as it is a democratic country.

“However, they (activists) should not assume that just because we (assemblymen) did not attend their forum, we do not listen to the people,“Afif told Malaysiakini.

“We are elected every five years so that we can listen to the people and work out solutions for them in the best interests of everyone.

“The role of NGOs and elected representatives or government is different.

“We are here to provide solutions to the people, and for the younger generations.“

Afif added that Penang government representatives, including assemblymen, have been engaging communities from time to time.

Penang legislative assembly backbenchers from DAP also accused Penang Forum of being “an unelected and undemocratic entity.”

They were responding to a Malaysiakini news report which criticised the assemblymen for not “listening” to the people.

The DAP reps said Penang Forum claims to be apolitical and a voice of civil society yet a senior member of the NGO has speaking engagements with opposition party Gerakan while another speaker is a PAS Youth leader from Bayan Baru.