AYER HITAM, April 25 — Several Ayer Hitam voters have said they were more concerned about corruption scandals and the rising cost of living than local issues, even as DAP seeks to make the Johor constituency its central battleground in the election.

While many voters acknowledged incumbent Ayer Hitam MP and MCA deputy president Datuk Seri Wee Ka Siong’s effectiveness in bringing much needed development to Ayer Hitam, such as building new clinics and a fire and rescue building, as well improving the overall quality of life in the district, they said they were worried most about the 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) issue, the implementation of the Goods and Services Tax (GST) and the lack of economic opportunities.

To gauge issues that voters were most concerned about, Malay Mail spoke to 12 voters in Ayer Hitam, from shopkeepers and plantation workers to retirees.

A Yong Peng local, who only wished to be known as Tee, said he was grateful to Wee for helping to solve flash flooding in the town, but said he wanted a more effective and attentive government.

“Back in 2006, we faced one of the worst floods in Yong Peng town. However, Wee helped to get more funds to improve the drainage system, which greatly reduced flash floods.

“But with more and more news of corruption in the government and local authorities, I am worried that the authorities are not doing all that they can to tackle the issue,” he said.

Chen Li Hing, 48, said more needs to be done to create more jobs in the district, despite Wee’s drive to turn it into a tourist destination in the past few years.

“We need more economic activities to spur growth in the district. In the past few years, with campaigns promoting Ayer Hitam and Yong Peng as tourist destinations, we did manage to pull in more people to spend their money here, particularly on our ceramic products.

“But more needs to be done to ensure that Ayer Hitam continues to grow and there are enough jobs for our young here,” he said.

Sundry store assistant Mohd Zainudin Rahim, 26, said he wanted better paying jobs in Ayer Hitam.

“There are not many job openings in Ayer Hitam and even if there are, they are mostly in the factories which do not pay much and offer little to no career progress,” he said.

“The easier choice would be to work in Johor Baru or Kuala Lumpur, but it is far too expensive to live there. I prefer not to waste my hard-earned money on paying high rent or car loans alone only to survive in these cities and barely make a living.

“More investment is needed to create better job opportunities for the youth in the district. I feel tourism could be a huge contributor here and the young are more than willing to work if they are able to earn a decent living,” he added.

Lorry driver Junaidi Sayudi, 45, said people yearned for a change in government as the rising cost of living was putting a strain on low-income families.

“Now everyone is feeling the pinch of everyday goods costing more and more by the day. For example, the price of ‘ikan kembong’ now stands at RM12 a kilo which is ridiculous. Just a few years ago, this fish was sold at RM8 a kilo.

“Now include that with the GST, and we are being pressed while our wages stay the same. Yet the attitude of the government is to only dismiss such issues. Even earning RM3,000 a month nowadays is not enough, and something must be done,” he said.

Nur Irdina Mohd, a 34-year-old administrative clerk for a local plantation, said she was happy with the way that the state was managed under the ruling Barisan Nasional (BN). However, she wants better infrastructure within the district.

“Central Johor has always relied on plantations and farmland for its income; however, there is a disconnect between the youth here and the older generation. Many are searching for better jobs elsewhere.

“If more funds were pumped into the district, we could have better roads, schools, and even clinics to meet the needs of the people. Good infrastructure in turn could bring in new businesses, which could create dozens of new jobs in town for the youth,” she said.

Johor DAP chairman Liew Chin Tong will take on Wee in Ayer Hitam in the 14th general election.

BN has been campaigning heavily on local affairs in Johor and constantly claim that they have achieved much in the past five years, citing the Johor Government Achievement Report Card 2013-2018 themed Developing Johor’s New Decade.

This includes achievements such as the rise of Johor’s gross domestic product to above RM100 billion in 2016; the state receiving the highest amount of approved investments in the manufacturing sector since 2013 with a total of RM114.9 billion; and the creation of 732,325 job opportunities in Iskandar Malaysia.

Pakatan Harapan, however, has been focusing on national issues such as the alleged failures of 1MDB, the Federal Land Development Authority (Felda) land scandal, as well as the rising cost of living that it said was made worse due to the implementation of the GST since 2015.