By Ida Nadirah Ibrahim
THE Kota Kemuning constituency covers a large area, from Seri Muda, across parts of Shah Alam, and up to Putra Heights, with an estimated 59,000 population.
Though it is mostly considered an urban setting, its assemblyman V Ganabatirau, who also holds the State Socio-economic Empowerment, Development and Caring Government portfolio, said Kota Kemuning has a good mix of the population with 44 per cent Malays, over 30 per cent Chinese and close to 30 per cent Indians, making it a model mini Malaysia.
But with such a mixed setting comes various challenges, and Ganabatirau is intent on solving each of them in the best way possible.
Selangor Journal (SJ): What is the main industry in your constituency?
V Ganabatirau (VG): Many think that Kota Kemuning is a luxury area but unfortunately it is bigger than most people think. We have a mix: there’s the Bukit Kemuning Golf & Country Resort; the urban residential homes in Putra Heights and One City bordering USJ Subang Jaya; traditional villages in Bukit Naga and Bukit Lanchong; several industrial areas made up of small- and medium-sized factories; and low-cost houses in Bukit Rimau. It is a very big constituency and the standard of living varies from very high to very low, with a very balanced racial diversity that makes it all quite complex.
SJ: What would you say the main attraction is in Kota Kemuning?
VG: I would say it has a variety of good food, be it Malay, Indian or even Korean and Japanese. Aside from the golf resorts, there are a lot of green areas here as many public parks are located in the constituency. It is an eco-friendly area, but unfortunately, it is also highly congested and has quite poor planning to accommodate the high number of population. But as I have mentioned, the demographic is diversified, therefore certain areas are densely populated while others like Putra Heights and Alam Mega are peaceful and developed well. Several mosques, temples and churches are also located here.
SJ: What are some of the concerns that are raised by your constituents and how do you plan to address them?
VG: There are many issues here due to the large area, and one of them is the issue of bureaucracy as many of the problems that need to be addressed require the cooperation of other local councils and agencies. I try my best to speed up the process by pushing the authorities to take action and address the people’s concerns, but some of it is beyond my control, such as the infrastructural design of the constituency which was never made with a huge population in mind. The biggest problem faced by people is traffic congestion. Despite the highways, traffic is still very jammed and I have appealed to the local authorities for much better infrastructure to ease the traffic flow. Public transportation is very much lacking. There is no rail transport except for the LRT coming into Putra Heights. The planning of the place is not on par with its development. Other issues that require attention include floods, littering of garbage and the surge in the number of foreigners.
SJ: What are some of your achievements so far in your constituency?
I have arranged many townhall sessions with residents associations and Rukun Tetangga to address the issues raised by the people. Now we can see that the local authorities, namely the Shah Alam City Council, are more progressive. Other government agencies are also pushing to become better… I do not want to see the people becoming the victim of bureaucracy. For example, after I won the seat in 2018, the first roundabout project in Kota Kemuning looked as if it had been abandoned but we pushed it through and got the project approved. The flooding and clogging issues in Seri Muda have also improved due to the works done to the drainage system. I make sure to highlight minor issues like drainage repairs and road surface works. Not all of these things are under my jurisdiction, but I make it a point that people know we care for them and that we try our best to cater to their problems.
SJ: What are some of your problem-solving methods?
VG: The approach I take is to not play the blaming game as this does not help the people. We would try to understand their problems and we channel them to the right authorities through writing or addressing it in our monthly meeting. It is about getting the right people to do the job. It is a new culture for the authorities and agencies to see me be very aggressive but I would like to be transparent with them. We should not be defensive but let us work together to ensure how the people of this area, who are so varied socially, can live harmoniously together.
