By Amar Shah Mohsen
SHAH ALAM, July 10 — Should Pakatan Harapan (Harapan) successfully defend Selangor in the coming state election, among its biggest challenges will be how the state government can step out of its comfort zone and continue to deliver for the good of the public.
Menteri Besar Dato’ Seri Amirudin Shari said it is vital the state administration stay on its toes and not rest on its laurels, particularly with the ever-changing political dynamics as evident throughout the last term, when Putrajaya witnessed multiple changes of government.
“I know it won’t be easy to come out of your comfort zone (after years in power). (We remember that) our calmest moment was during the 22 months (when Harapan was in federal and state power), but after that, it was turbulent.
“Now, we (Selangor) have re-entered a phase where we can breathe a sigh of relief, as the situation is no longer like the past. At this moment, the concern is how we handle this comfortability,” he said in his special address during an official visit to Media Selangor, here, today.
“We have to prove we are resilient during moments of both difficulty and calm. Even when things are going easy, it is a challenge to us. As we head into the state election, we should look at how we can capitalise on this comfortability.”
Commenting specifically on the upcoming state poll, Amirudin said it would serve as a barometer to whether the Harapan administration continues to garner the support of the majority public.
In this regard, he said it is vital that key information pertaining to state government initiatives are delivered to the public through the media, including Media Selangor.
“When we won the state in 2008, we felt the need to frame and deliver our own news, which was why Media Selangor was set up. We couldn’t rely on other agencies to deliver state information, what more during a time when there were multiple efforts to discredit us,” he said.
Today, Amirudin said Media Selangor plays a crucial role in delivering news of state programmes.
These include the abundance of welfare programmes rolled out throughout the past term, so much so that he said it is proving challenging to highlight each and every one of them to the public.
“Some states don’t even have anything to boast about… Yet, we have 46 initiatives under our welfare programme alone. This is not inclusive of the initiatives under Menteri Besar Selangor (Incorporated), Selangor State Development Corporation (PKNS) and the other agencies.”
Amirudin also noted that the state reserve is currently at its highest in over a decade, while at the same time being able to contribute 25.5 per cent to the national gross domestic product.
On top of that, the Sungai Tua assemblyman said the state government continues to focus on the future, with the tabling of the First Selangor Plan being one of the examples of efforts being taken to ensure sustainability.
During today’s event, Amirudin also launched Media Selangor’s special portal for the state election prnselangor.my, which will deliver live updates, analysis, information and results for the 56 state seats to be contested.
The site can be accessed by the public beginning today, with further information on the candidates to be updated closer to nomination day on July 29.
The Election Commission has set August 12 for polling day for Selangor and five other states that will be facing elections, namely Penang, Negeri Sembilan, Kelantan, Terengganu and Kedah.
