Thanks for continuing my ideas, Johor Umno chief tells Pakatan MB

JOHOR BARU, July 11 — In a backhanded compliment today, former Johor Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Mohamed Khaled Nordin thanked his successor Datuk Osman Sapian for carrying out initiatives and policies he claimed to have started.

In a lengthy 19-point statement, the Johor Umno chief listed four projects the new Pakatan Harapan (PH) state government led by Osman recently said it will be implementing.

“I would like to thank Mentri Besar Datuk Osman Sapian for implementing initiatives that benefit the people.

“In particular, all the initiative and people-centric policies that were introduced and started by my administration under BN (Barisan Nasional) for the last five years,” he said.

Osman’s state administration has said it will provide free water to target low-income users, free bus service, special holiday incentives to state government staff and student assistance to higher education institutions.

Mohamed Khaled said he is happy and grateful the new state government will be going ahead with the four projects, even though they have been renamed.

“As long as it is useful to Johoreans, the previous initiatives that I worked on with Team Umno/BN should continue,” he said.

At the same time, he said the four projects was recognition of his administration’s commitment to the people of Johor.

Mohamed Khaled, who met with crushing defeat in the May 9 general election, then advised the new state government to work hard and think of their own ideas.

“Only by doing so, the value-added results by the PH state government can be seen and evaluated by all parties,” he said.

Mohamed Khaled also hopes the new administration can consider plans for the state government to take over the state water company Syarikat Air Johor (SAJ).

He said with an excess of RM3 billion in last year’s state coffers, the purchase of SAJ would enable the state government to control and reduce water rates Johor as a whole more effectively.

“The final and third issue is for the state government to fine-tune and seriously consider recommendations to enlarge the current North-South Expressway in Johor,” he said, adding that he hopes that the initiatives that have been initiated by him and his previous administration will not be put aside due to political differences.