By Nasuha Badrul Huzaini
SUNGAI Ramal is located in the Bandar Baru Bangi parliamentary district and is home to over 400,000 people. Strategically located near Kuala Lumpur, Putrajaya and the Kuala Lumpur International Airport, it has become one of the preferred places for new families to settle down. Even though it is undergoing rapid urbanisation, Sungai Ramal has still managed to retain its traditional vibe with the existence of several villages in the area. Its state representative, Mazwan Johar, who took office after the 2018 general election, spoke with Selangor Journal about some of the challenges he faced, and some achievements too.
Selangor Journal (SJ): What is the main industry in your constituency?
Mazwan Johar (MJ): The main industry in Sungai Ramal is electronics as the area houses a few factories from Japan such as Hitachi and Panasonic. This constituency is also well known for its pharmaceutical and modest clothing industries.
SJ: What is the main attraction in Sungai Ramal?
MJ: People mostly come here for the food. Given that Sungai Ramal is located near Kajang, many outsiders visit this area to eat satay. On top of that, many visitors from Singapore and Brunei often come here for shopping because a number of well-known modest clothing brands have opened up stores in Bangi Sentral, making it among the go-to places in Sungai Ramal.
SJ: What are the concerns raised by your constituents and how do you address them?
MJ: Due to its proximity to Putrajaya, Sungai Ramal has seen rapid growth over the years. Currently, there are six villages within the perimeter of the constituency and the villagers have raised their concerns that many of the small village roads are now being used by outsiders as shortcuts, causing congestion. These roads have lower specifications as they were not designed to accommodate a high number of vehicles. Therefore, the roads need to be widened. However, the widening of roads comes under the purview of the district office and unfortunately they did not have any allocation for it. It is therefore the best outcome that recently the management of all village roads was handed over to the Kajang Municipal Council (MPKj). This was where I came in — to help the people to resolve this problem. Initially, MPKj refused to take over the ownership of the roads in Kampung Sg Ramal Dalam as the village did not meet one of the preconditions set by the council — which was, to have new residential development take place there. Eventually, after various discussions with us, the council acquiesced for the benefit of the people.
SJ: What are your achievements so far in your constituency?
MJ: Since 2018, I have managed to resolve numerous ‘long-overdue’ issues, including a drainage problem which had caused frequent flooding in the Seksyen 4 Tambahan area since the 1990s. The very first question I received from the people there was, “Can you resolve this matter?”. Thank God, after many discussions with MPKj and the Works Department (JKR), we managed to find a solution. The problem was fixed after we received an allocation from the state government. Apart from that, when Pakatan Harapan was ruling the Federal government, we could get access to schools and I utilised my state representative’s fund to help repair toilets, canteens and buy new tables and chairs for students.
SJ: What are some of your problem-solving methods?
MJ: Whenever there are issues or complaints raised by the constituents, I will assign my officer to do an initial investigation into the actual problem. After that, we will sit down and decide on which agencies to ask for help. As an example, if we have a problem with a particular road, we have to first identify if the road belongs to the property developer, or to MPKj or JKR. Once we know who the owner is, I will conduct a meeting with them. From there, we will analyse the cause of the problem and ask why it cannot be resolved as quickly as possible. If it is due to a financial constraint, I will utilise the state representative’s annual grant for road improvement works which totals RM3 million. So far, my constituents have no problem communicating with me as I am always contactable by phone, WhatsApp and other social media platforms including Facebook. Most importantly, they can always come to my office if they have urgent matters to discuss.
This article first appeared in the Selangor Journal monthly September edition, published on September 5, 2022.
