KAPAR, May 5 — Conceding that Barisan Nasional (BN) and MIC do not have as strong a footing among young voters here, the party’s candidate Datuk Mohana Muniandy today urged the public to pick the individual instead of the party.

The MIC Wanita chief, who is contesting the Kapar parliamentary seat, said she was aware that some voters, especially those below the age of 45, are unhappy with BN and its component parties, including MIC.

To overcome this perception, she explained that voters must understand that it was the candidate who would champion the rights of the voters instead of the party.

"You must see the candidate, not the party. You must see who can work, and not who will sleep,” she told Malay Mail.

Mohana said she was confident that when voters get to know her, this sentiment towards her party will change.

"I am therefore going down to the ground every day to meet the people and to explain to them what I am able to do and not just some fluff promises.

"Because when I am elected and when Barisan Nasional forms the government, development for Kapar will be much easier,” she said.

Mohana will face PAS’ Dr Abdul Rani Osman, PKR’s Datuk Abdullah Sani Abdul Hamid and Parti Rakyat Malaysia’s (PRM) S. Manikavasagam.

Among Mohana’s promises for the people of Kapar are a new hospital and keeping her service centre opened round the clock.

"The people here have to currently travel to Shah Alam or Klang to receive medical aid from a hospital, but if BN is given a mandate here, that will no longer be the case.

"[And] like what MIC has been doing in some locations, I want to have one or two vans or small buses to transport poor people to banks and hospitals,” she said.

Like Mohana, PRM’s S. Manikavasagam, who was Kapar MP in 2008, said he had raised the issue of a new hospital since his tenure, but it was never approved.

"Because I was an Opposition MP, my request was not seriously looked at but this time with PRM, I will continue to fight for this until it happens,” he said when met in his office.

Besides working on getting a hospital in the area, Manikavasagam also wanted to expand the size of the North Klang police headquarters, which is currently housed in a shoplot.

"The crime rate in Kapar is high and we need a police headquarters that is big enough to deploy enough manpower whenever there’s a fight or crime,” he said.

In the last election, PKR’s G. Manivannan won by a whopping 23,790 votes in a six-cornered fight against BN, Berjasa, and three independent candidates.