GEORGE TOWN: Constituents have accused DAP Air Putih incumbent candidate Lim Guan Eng of being ‘missing in action’ in the past 10 years.
Parti Cinta Malaysia candidate R. Manikandan, who is locking horns with Lim, was told by Air Putih residents that they rarely saw Lim in the constituency in the past decade even though he was their assemblyman
“I went for a walkabout in the area and the people were welcoming me happily and explained their grouses. They said this was something that they could not do with him (Lim).
“They told us the difficulties they faced during the floods, potholes here and there, and many other issues,” the 40-year-old candidate told the New Straits Times today.
“So, their question is, where is Guan Eng when the people need him?”
This is the first time Manikandan is contesting. His greatest advantage lies in the fact that he is a local boy. His family has been living in the area for five generations.
““There has been soil erosion due to the massive landslide on Penang Hill. I can say that Penang Hill is now 10 per cent destroyed because of the unnecessary development.
“Most of the drainage system built during the British era is destroyed and the current government has no preventive maintenance plan for it.”
He said the outdated and inadequate drainage system was one of the reasons why the floods occured.
“The so-called Air Putih man has no plans for Air Putih people, but a local like me understands the root cause and I hope to end all this if I am given the mandate,” he said.