TELUK INTAN, May 26 — Barisan Nasional (BN) candidate Datuk Mah Siew Keong pledged today to build a university for the town and get Unesco heritage listing for the Teluk Intan Leaning Tower.

In his manifesto for the Teluk Intan by-election, Mah, who is Gerakan president, also made other promises like turning Teluk Intan into an agricultural hub for lower Perak, increasing investment and creating more WiFi zones.

“I understand the issues affecting the people of Teluk Intan,” Mah told a press conference at the launch of his election manifesto here today.

“I was born and bred in Teluk Intan. My family has deep roots in this area and we have lived here for more than three generations,” he added.

Mah also said the construction of the West Coast Expressway, of which the groundbreaking ceremony was held here yesterday, would spur development in the small town as the highway would link Teluk Intan, Selangor and northern Perak.

“I will also work with the federal and state government to transform Teluk Intan into the agricultural hub of Lower Perak. Teluk Intan is strategically placed between Pasir Salak, Bagan Datoh, Tapah and Tanjong Malim, and this centrality gives Teluk Intan a natural advantage that must be harnessed,” said Mah.

The 53-year-old added that he would strive to have a university constructed in Teluk Intan as there is no university in lower Perak.

“Getting a university is not easy, but I hope that in my term as MP, I’ll get approval for it,” said Mah.

Mah also stressed that the BN ruling government allocates funds fairly, adding projects in opposition constituencies may not have been approved because their representatives did not “make enough effort”.

“You have to run around the various ministries. Like with the Unesco listing, I had to do surveys and go to seven ministries. It’s not just going to the papers and scolding, ‘I want a Unesco listing’,” he said.

Mah pledged to develop eco-tourism in Teluk Intan to capitalise on its rich bio-diversity.

“I will also ensure that the riverfront is developed into an integrated leisure and tourism hub and a major tourist attraction, similar to the waterfront development in Melaka and Kuching,” he said.

Mah, who was Teluk Intan MP for two terms before losing the seat to the DAP in 2008 and 2013, added that he would resolve irrigation and water supply, and lighting problems.

“I hope to achieve at least 70 to 80 per cent of my manifesto,” he said.

Mah said he was the underdog in the Teluk Intan by-election, pointing out that he had lost the seat in the 13th general election last year by over 7,000 votes.

“The previous MP, Seah Leong Peng, was a local boy who worked very hard. There’s a lot of sympathy votes,” he said.

The Teluk Intan by-election was triggered after Seah died from cancer on May 1.

Mah will take on DAP’s Dyana Sofya Mohd Daud, 26, in a straight fight for the parliamentary seat on May 31.