Johoreans want new MB to look after their welfare

JOHOR BARU: Johoreans are welcoming the appointment of Dr Sahruddin Jamal as their new Mentri Besar and hoping his priority

will be on looking after their welfare besides improving the state.

Retiree Mahmud Ariffin, 77, wants the Bukit Kepong assemblyman to be more involved with the local communities here.

“We need a leader who is close to the rakyat and not someone who just sits in the office. “I hope Dr Sahruddin will have more direct interactions with locals as that would allow him to know us better,” he said.

Shop assistant Farah Faizah Sukor, 29, said he hopes Dr Sahruddin would be fair to all Johoreans.

“I hope he will focus on our welfare, regardless of religion, race or background,” she said.

Sundry shop owner Teo Toh Heng, 74, urged Dr Sahruddin to convey the concerns of the public including small business owners like himself to the Federal Government.

He said sales at his shop along Jalan Trus, near the city centre had dropped sharply since the end of Chinese New Year.

“We are barely getting by.

“One of the biggest challenge for businesses here is maintaining a good foot traffic flow and I hope that the Mentri Besar will help to look into this matter,” he said.

Tailor K. Anjalai, 68, said she hopes the government continues to look after everyone especially the elderly.

“I hope he will not stop existing policies or welfare programmes that have improved the well-being of the public,” she said. Engineering student N. Daanesh, 20, said Dr Sahruddin should help to build better ties with Singapore.

“One of his biggest challenge is to maintain a good relation with Singapore as a lot of Malaysians, especially Johoreans are either working or studying there.

“He needs to ensure that policies made by the Federal government do not hurt Johor’s relationship with Singapore as we will be the most affected,” he said.

Nutritionist Eunice Tan, 25, hopes that Dr Sahruddin can improve the public transportation system as this would reduce the living cost for locals.

“This inefficiency results in many Johoreans opting to have a car, which ultimately increases congestion while also raises their cost of living,” she said.

Source : TheStar