Candidates focus on housing and unity
PETALING JAYA: As the Seri Setia by-election campaign gains momentum, Pakatan Harapan’s Halimey Abu Bakar has pledged to resolve housing woes faced by the poor, while his opponent Dr Halimah Ali sent a strong message to voters that PAS is a party for all races.
Dr Halimah, who spoke to reporters yesterday, emphasised that PAS is against racial and religious extremism in Malaysia.
“I want to stress here that I have no problems servicing all races, so don’t be afraid and worried. We are not extremists. PAS is actually against extremism,” she said.
She dismissed claims that PAS only serviced Malay Muslim voters by referring to the Islamist party’s constitution, which stated that its leaders must be fair to all races, regardless of differences in religious practice.
“We will give fair treatment as it is stated in our constitution. If I’m given the mandate to represent Seri Setia, I will give full attention to everyone, regardless of race and social status.”
Highlighting her 10-year experience as the Selat Klang assemblyman, Dr Halimah said she had mingled well with residents of Pulau Ketam, which consisted of 90% Chinese.
She narrowly lost the Selat Klang seat by 500 votes to Selangor Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia chief Datuk Abdul Rashid Asari in the 14th General Election.
At a separate press conference, Halimey assured Seri Setia voters that he would push for affordable homes in the constituency.
“If I’m chosen as the Seri Setia assemblyman, among my priorities will be to address housing issues.
“The first step I will take is to pressure the Housing and Local Government Ministry to build more affordable homes in Seri Setia,” he said.
For the urban poor, he said he would propose to the state government to build special housing to be rented out at a rate of not more than RM250 a month.
“I will also propose the construction of studio apartments for single adults,” he said, adding that these units should also be offered at similar rates.
Dr Halimah, a former Selangor state executive councillor, will face off against Halimey, a former Petaling Jaya councillor, in the Seri Setia polls which will run concurrently with the Balakong polls on Sept 8.