KUALA KRAI, July 12 — Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin said Manek Urai will become a new development area in Kelantan if the Barisan Nasional (BN) wins the constituency’s by-election on Tuesday.
The offer by the BN government is expected to change area not only in terms of physical development but also in terms of economic and social well-being of the people who are mostly rubber tappers.
“If that (development) is what they want, we are ready to help but they must also be ready to help us,” he told reporters after launching the state-level Teachers’ Day celebration at the Sekolah Kebangsaan Manek Urai Baru here today.
He said that there was no truth in the claims by opposition parties that the people did not care for development.
On the contrary, he said, the people he met during the campaign had been asking about development programmes.
“This is my fifth time here and I have gone to almost all areas in Manek Urai and I can see that they are still in needs of development.
“In my meetings with local leaders, they expressed their wish for the federal government to continue carrying out development programmes, improving facilities such as schools, bridges, mosques, surau and implementing economic programmes for the people,” he said.
Muhyiddin, who is Education Minister, said it was clear that the people wanted development, something which the PAS government was unable to provide.
He said that in ceramahs organised by PAS, the party would avoid mentioning anything about development as though it was not important.
The party did this to hide its weaknesses, said Muhyiddin.
“During my visits to the ground, the people I met told me they want development. So I gave them two options.
“Firstly, is to ask from Tok Guru (PAS spiritual leader Datuk Nik Abdul Aziz Nik Mat). Secondly, is to ask from me and the federal government. If they really want it, we are ready to help but they must help us to do that,” he said.
The Umno deputy president also reiterated his challenge to Nik Aziz, who is Kelantan mentri besar, to list down the development projects implemented by him since heading the state’s administration.
“If he says he wants to carry out development alongside Islamic development, in the last 20 years, can he list down what has he done in terms of implementing Islamic laws, Islamic family development, improving facilities for religious schools, mosques or surau?
“I am serious about this because I want to tell the Manek Urai people that what the party has been describing as unimportant, is actually important,” he said.
He said that 20 years would be enough to prove if PAS was able to develop the state.
He added that even if there were signs of development in Kelantan, these were contributed by the federal government when the BN was administering the state.
Commenting on the presence of PAS deputy president Nasharuddin Mat Isa at the Kampung Perial mosque yesterday, Muhyiddin said it was a desperate attempt by the party to cover up frictions among its top leaders.
Meanwhile speaking at a gathering of the people with the leader at Sekolah Kebangsaan Manik Urai, he said the Barisan Nasional would turn Manek Urai as a modern agropolitan town if the party received the mandate of the people on Tuesday.
He said that a new bridge would be built immediately to replace the old one at Kampung Manek Urai Lama, if the BN were to win in the by-election.
“The JKR (PWD) has made an estimate of RM7 million to construct the new bridge. We (BN) promise that the new bridge will be built one day after we win (the by-election),” he said.
The narrow bridge that is more than 40 years old can only accommodate one car at any one time and had posed problems to the residents as no action had been taken by the state government.
On the agropolitan town, Muhyiddin said this was because most of the residents in Manek Urai were engaged in agriculture such as rubber tapping and smallholders. – Bernama
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