By Ida Nadirah Ibrahim
BEING a representative in one of the densely populated state seats in Malaysia is not an easy task, but Ng Sze Han has been prepared from the start as he has lived in the area for a long time and knows Kinrara well.
The incumbent Kinrara state assemblyman said when he contested the seat for the second time in the 2018 general elections, he did not need to prepare a pledge for its people as he knows them and the constituency very well.
“I think if we know the area and people there very well, and people also know you very well, we know their needs and problems.
“I did not have a manifesto during the 2018 general election, but it doesn’t mean I did not commit to making Kinrara a better place to live in. I know the problems very well because I live there.
“Puchong is my home now and I am hoping that if I can still continue to serve the people here and bring positive changes, it would be among the best constituencies,” said Ng in a recent interview with Selangor Journal.
Hailing from Batu Pahat, Johor, Ng has lived in Puchong for more than 20 years and can quickly identify the main issues faced by the people there, such as traffic congestion, the need for better recreational facilities, and facilities for an ageing society.
Ng said for several years, his office has been working hard to provide more public facilities that cater to the different age groups of the constituents so that they would have more kinds of activities for leisure.
“As the most dense state seat in the whole of Malaysia with the highest number of voters at more than 120,000, the problems in Kinrara are quite similar to those of Selangor, it being the most populated state.
When you have more people, you have more waste and more cars, so traffic congestion is a key challenge.
“Over the past few years, I have tried to improve traffic congestion by connecting the missing link, improving traffic flow at the junctions by turning the traffic lights into smart traffic lights, for example. They are improvements that are within our means.
“We also need to improve Kinrara’s recreational facilities because it is highly urbanised, so the people need more parks to exercise in and bring their families for outings. We have already brought some changes, such as providing two covered basketball courts in the Taman Wawasan recreational park,” he said.
Ng said Taman Wawasan Puchong, which is the largest recreational park under the purview of the Subang Jaya City Council (MBSJ), is also equipped with a woodball course that is of international standards, and so is suitable for all, even senior citizens.
He said a person would need to take about 10,000 steps to complete the whole 18-hole course. “MBSJ is also building a sports complex in Pusat Bandar Puchong, which will be completed in three years’ time … these are some of the improvements that I have pushed for during my tenure.”
Help for all
Although Kinrara is also home to some urban poor and voters who are not Selangor natives, he has ensured that aid is channelled fairly to all, including foreign workers.
He said that rendering aid to the local residents is an ongoing process and that he and his service centre would visit the people and offer help to ease their difficulties.
“If they need medical treatment, special care, food, or jobs, we would help them and would continue doing this kind of home visits to ease their burden,” he said.
Ng said that his other portfolio as the state executive councillor for local government has helped him too, in
his work for Kinrara. When Selangor was hit by a major flood in December 2021 and many parts of the constituency were inundated, it was easier for him to get the relevant state agencies to help as he is used to working with them.
“Being a state executive councillor has given me the convenience to solve many problems, for example, the major flood in Taman Kinrara Section 1, which was one of the worst hit areas in Selangor (during the 2021 floods).
“It had never before happened in Taman Kinrara but all of a sudden, two major floods came and we figured something must have caused them. After investigating and calling the agencies involved, we found that the retention pond under the purview of the Kuala Lumpur City Council (DBKL) needed maintenance. So after meeting with the mayor, we immediately got to work to resolve the problem,” Ng said.
He said that following discussions with the Selangor Irrigation and Drainage Department (JPS), the agency was able to secure a budget to build a bund along Sungai Kuyoh until the meeting point of Sungai Klang, which was completed within nine months.
“Ever since the works were completed, we never again had flash floods in Taman Kinrara. So, this is a good example of how we can work with agencies to identify problems quickly and solve them in the fastest time possible,” he said.
This article first appeared in the Selangor Journal monthly May 2023 edition, published on May 13, 2023.
