Selangor Menteri Besar Abdul Khalid Ibrahim yesterday launched the state government plans to make economic growth ‘meaningful’ for the common people and to translate them into programmes to protect and promote their welfare.

selangor 100 days stadium 210608 khalid Speaking at the Shah Alam Stadium to a crowd of about 10,000 people gathered to celebrate Pakatan’s 100 days of governance in Selangor, Khalid said the state’s economic development will reflect on the real burdens and pressures borne by the people in the state.

“We need not speak of how great has been the rates of our economic growth, gross domestic product, parity purchasing power, and so on. The important question is, what effort has the government made to mitigate the burdens of the people?” he asked.

Dedicating the rest of his speech to answering that question, Khalid laid out the principles by which Pakatan would strive towards ‘good governance’.

These included subjecting all procurement exercises by state departments and agencies to the open-tender process that is free from meddling by politicians, he said.

selangor 100 days stadium 210608 crowd 01 “The transparency of the Pakatan Rakyat government will be fulfilled holistically, including in the process of spending the allocations of state assemblypersons where district-level committees will be set up to approve and audit each allocation spent by elected representatives,” said Khalid.

“There will no longer be such term (in use) as ‘direct-negotiations’ in this Pakatan Rakyat government,” he added.

Austerity drive

Khalid also said the government will cut back on operating expenses, including by directing all government departments and agencies to ‘moderate’ their functions and celebrations and organise them only within Selangor on premises owned by the state government and state-owned corporations.

Khalid also announced the set up of a special committee to look into land matters which would engage people who are experts in land matters regardless of political affiliation.

Bureaucratic red-tape in land matters would also be reduced through such measures as doing away with the district land councils and the delegation of responsibilities from the Department of Land and Mines to district officers.

“The government has decided that appeals by companies will not longer be entertained to obtain discounts on the payment of land premiums. Discount of premiums will only be considered for the poor,” Khalid added.

He went on to reiterate the government’s decision to disallow any development in ‘Class 3 and Class 4 areas' - land with gradients 35 degrees and above - as well as the appointment of new local councillors, 25 percent of whom are professionals, from NGOs, and local politicians.

It has also been decided that the state legislative assembly will set up a Select Committee on Competency, Accountability and Transparency (Selcatt) that will look into complaints from the public and for all state excos to declare their assets.

Among the policies to implement the 'communitarian economy', Khalid said the government had already taken steps to provide free water to households.

“On the basis of the communitarian economy, we have done things that certain parties had said would be impossible to implement.”

He also said measures would be taken to increase revenue derived from the extraction of sand and other resources and minerals and inject these into funds for the welfare of Selangor-born children, those offered a place in universities, and an insurance and free medical scheme for the elderly.

By doing this, every born child in Selangor will receive RM100 that will be placed in an investment fund, every student offered a place in a university will receive RM1,000, and those 60 years old and above or had lived in the state for at least 15 years would receive free medical and insurance coverage worth RM3,500.

Khalid also announced the setting up of One-Stop Crisis centres at all state hospitals that would work with the Welfare Department, the police and other agencies to help women and children who are victims of rape, sodomy, domestic violence and other abuses.

selangor 100 days stadium 210608 crowd 02 A fund for children of plantation workers would also be established to provide assistance in the form of scholarships and to fund the construction and maintenance of dormitories.

Looking towards the future, the Pakatan state government will pay special attention to the development of Selangor’s youth through assistance to grassroots youth associations, programmes and activities.

Citing the appointment of women to 40 percent of all leadership, policy-making and policy-implementation positions in the state government, Khalid said the Pakatan government would also give recognition to the important role of women.

Assembly against the ISA

Along these lines, the state has also agreed to introduce a 90-day maternity leave for mothers and 14-day paternity leave for fathers. The government will also provide for allowances for single mothers and home-makers.

Khalid also said state-owned companies would be revamped so as to increase revenues for the state and to share these revenues with the Selangor people. He said the Selangor legislative assembly would be the first such assembly in the country to state its opposition to the Internal Security Act (ISA) and call for its abolition.

“This shows the commitment of the Pakatan Rakyat government towards issues of the people,” said Khalid, who cited the detention under ISA of its Kota Alam Shah state assemblyperson M Manoharan.

Khalid also said the administration of Islamic affairs would also be strengthened, and Bahasa Malaysia as the official language of the state would be promoted.

selangor 100 days stadium 210608 anwar Other than the scores of Pakatan MPs and state assemblypersons, also present at the celebration were DAP leader Lim Kit Siang, PKR de facto leader Anwar Ibrahim and PAS secretary-general Kamaruddin Jafar.

Citing the speech of Khalid pertaining to the communitarian economy as well as the current problems facing the people following the oil price hike, Anwar asked whether there had been any Barisan Nasional state government that had showed such commitment to looking after the welfare of its citizens.

"With the recent price of $135 per barrel, Malaysia is making RM120 billion a year, but why do people have to suffer from it?" he said.

“So I say to our friends on the other side: Emigrate to and support Pakatan Rakyat now! What are you waiting for?!” he asked.

Pointing to the plans of BN component member Sabah Progressive Party for its two members of parliament to initiate a no-confidence motion against BN chairperson and Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, Anwar said the moves towards Pakatan to take over the federal government were already taking place.

“There are two already (possibly joining Paktan). We need only 28 more,” he said, smiling as the crowd roared and applauded their approval.

selangor 100 days stadium 210608 kit teng hassan kahlid DAP veteran leader Lim Kit Siang said the second political tsunami was about to take place after the first one saw the victory of Pakatan in five states at the March 8 general election.

This tsunami, however, would be even bigger and take place at the federal level, said Lim.

The Selangor government's dynamic, modern, transparent and effective administration could lead to such a tsunami, he added.

Cautious but optimistic

Meanwhile, in a poll among the crowd, cautious but optimistic summed up their sentiments on the Pakatan state government and most of them had a bone to pick with the federal government.

"I am happy with the developments that the state government has provided, the free water for example does ease the burden a little. At least there is a clear effort to help the rakyat, I think the effort matters a lot. We must continue to give the government a chance to further prove themselves,” said Tan, a 45-year-old house wife.

She later quipped that she would "only want changes at the national level now - to portray an effort in easing the people's burden so that the people can 'cari makan'. Everyone is feeling the pinch," she lamented.

Adam Anuar, a 57-year-old, expressed satisfaction with the new Selangor government.

"The state government has been performing ok. I am happy. The only thing I'm not happy about is the rise in fuel prices.

"The state government has brought changes that are along communitarian lines. They are better than the previous government. One example is the land grants. It is much easier to get the grants now. Under the last government, it would have taken years. 100 days have been good so far, let's see what happens (next)."

A mother-and-daughter pair who requested anonymity said that "the (state) government has fulfilled some of the pledges made during the elections”,

"But it is too soon to be overly confident. It has just been 100 days - still too soon to judge their performance. But judging from what has been done so far, it looks like there will be more (good) changes to come."