With the state elections slated to be held on Aug 12, key political parties taking part are gearing up to woo voters with various promises and manifestos in exchange for their support.
A leader from Bersatu, which is part of the Perikatan Nasional (PN) coalition recently made a bold claim that if given the mandate, the coalition will transform Selangor into a ‘super state’.
‘PN capable of turning Selangor into a ‘super state’
The claim was made by Bersatu and Pahang PN leader Saifuddin Abdullah, who was speaking to attendees at a pre-election rally for Selangor Baharu (New Selangor) last night (July 15).
In his speech, he said current caretaker Menteri Besar (MB) Amirudin Shari had failed to realise the dream of turning Selangor into a ‘super state’, adding that the vision was first laid out by former MB and his mentor Azmin Ali during his tenure.
He also advised Amirudin to focus on further developing the state instead of boasting about how he managed to defeat Azmin to become MB.
This is something PN would do if we are given the mandate. Selangor should be looked at as a super state. So we should also choose a worthy Menteri Besar, not someone who is proud that he had defeated the former Menteri Besar. That is not the narrative to build Selangor,” he said as quoted by FMT.
Saifuddin also said that Selangor shouldn’t be compared to other states within the country and should instead be compared to developed countries in the region as the state had the potential to stand toe-to-toe.
“We should be comparing Selangor to Singapore, Taiwan, Hong Kong. Otherwise, we are not doing justice to what Selangor can achieve,” he said.
Defeated former mentor in GE15
During the 15th General Election (GE15) last year, Amirudin defeated his mentor-turned-rival Azmin to win the Gombak parliamentary seat, which was held by Azmin for three terms when he was PKR deputy president.
Aside from Selangor, five other states will also see elections take place to determine which coalition will control the state assembly, namely Penang, Negeri Sembilan, Kedah, Kelantan, and Terengganu.
Nominees will be revealed on July 29 while elections will be held on Aug 12.
Kelantan Deputy MB recently rebuffed claims that the state was underdeveloped, arguing that it wasn’t the case as its capital had Aeon Mall:
