PERMATANG PAUH, Oct 16 — Opposition leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim has advised Pakatan Rakyat (PR) states, both the PKR-led Selangor and the DAP-led Penang state governments, to set up a special taskforce to look into public problems from shoddy roadworks to kampung houses without electricity.
He urged state leaders to go down to the ground so that they are aware of the problems that the people faced and set up a special taskforce to tackle any issues that need resolving.
Using the six kampung houses he visited here as an example, he pointed out that they were without electricity and this did not reflect well on the PR state government.
“Of course, I don’t expect the Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng to know that there are six houses here without power supply, but it is our duty to inform the state,” he said.
He added that he was not happy that the six families who resided in the houses were living without power.
“This is not good, we need to be more focused on the people’s needs,” he said in a press conference here.
The PR leader said the annual reports of surpluses in the state budgets for Penang and Selangor showed good governance but it would be pointless if issues such as the lack of electricity, shoddy roads or even the plight of poor undergraduates who cannot afford to pay their university fees went unresolved.
“There can be no compromise on this as I am very concerned about the welfare of the people,” he said.
He said both state governments have been given five years so they should be able to tackle such issues with ease.
“You already have five years, you should be able to resolve these on-the-ground issues by now,” the Permatang Pauh MP said.
Earlier, Anwar visited his constituency and several mosques on the mainland here to celebrate Hari Raya Aidiladha.
