By Siti Rohaizah Zainal
SUNGAI BULOH, Nov 15 — Pakatan Harapan’s (Harapan) success in safeguarding the welfare of the Selangor citizens since 2008 reflects the coalition’s ability to run the country and protect the people’s interests.
Selangor Harapan chairman Dato’ Seri Amirudin Shari said the coalition’s performance could be assessed over its 14 years of administering the state, including during the implementation of the movement control order (MCO) during the Covid-19 pandemic.
He explained that among the efforts that have been initiated by the state administration include the free tuition programme that benefited 20,000 students with a fund of RM6 million and a free insurance scheme for those as young as 30 days old to the elderly.
“I believe that this cannot be done in a short period because even Selangor took 14 years to carry it out.
“If you want to evaluate Harapan’s performance, do not simply assess it during its 22 months (in Federal) but look at what it has done in Selangor for 14 years. The (state) seats are increasing and the majority is getting better,” he said at a talk with the locals at Taman Saujana Utama, here yesterday.
Also present were Parti Keadilan Rakyat (Keadilan) secretary-general Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail and Harapan candidate for Sungai Buloh parliamentary seat Datuk R. Ramanan.
Under Amirudin’s administration, Selangor has contributed 24.8 per cent to the national gross domestic product (GDP) in 2021, compared to 23.2 per cent in 2017 when Datuk Seri Mohamed Azmin Ali was the Menteri Besar.
The state also recorded more than RM3.4 billion in reserves as of August, the highest since 2012, in addition to offering 44 welfare initiatives under Iltizam Selangor Penyayang with an allocation of RM600 million.
Among the initiatives offered include Bantuan Kehidupan Sejahtera Sejahtera (Bingkas), which provides cash assistance of RM300 per month or RM3,600 per year to low-income households.
