Mission To Develop Johor Jaya: PH And BN Candidates Offer Economic Formula, Infrastructure

By Samantha Tan Chiew Tieng

JOHOR BAHRU, June 30 (Bernama) -- Pakatan Harapan (PH) candidate for the Johor Jaya state constituency, Lee Wern Yiing was once at a crossroads between pursuing a well-paid career in Singapore or returning to serve in her homeland.

Choosing the latter path, the 30-year-old was determined to devote her life to community service after completing her studies in the republic in 2018, driven by her high confidence in the country's reform process.

That decision marked the beginning of her political journey when she joined the team of former Johor Jaya assemblyman, Liow Cai Tung as a special officer before now being entrusted with defending the seat.

"At that time, I saw that Malaysia had hope, we could change it for the better. I decided to return to Malaysia and join politics because I felt I wanted to contribute to our country," she told Bernama here today.

Lee, who is also the Johor DAP Socialist Youth (Dapsy) chief, sees young voters as a group that will determine the direction of the state and rejects the perception that this group does not care about politics.

"They will make their own observations and make decisions based on what they see. That's why we need to convey accurate information about government policies," said the second of the three siblings.

Therefore, she combines social media approaches and community programmes such as the 'Johor Jaya Run' to reach out to the young, besides focusing on issues of job opportunities, housing and cost of living.

Commenting on the development of the Johor-Singapore Special Economic Zone (JS-SEZ), Lee wants the project to be fully utilised to create an employment ecosystem that can attract more young people to return to build a future in Johor.

"I hope Johor Jaya becomes a place where young people want to go home, they can go home at any time.

"If given the opportunity to become the Johor Jaya state legislative representative, I want to bring more policies that can boost the economy and create job opportunities so that more young people can continue to live here with their families," she said.

Meanwhile, Barisan Nasional (BN) candidate Chan San San is risking her identity as an "anak Plentong" and more than 10 years of experience in assisting the local community as her campaign capital.

"More than 10 years with the community taught me that the people's problems are realities that must be addressed, not just numbers on paper," she said.

She said her experience as a Johor Bahru City Council member (MBJB), Johor MCA deputy secretary and a member of the MCA Crisis Relief Squad (CRSM) volunteer team formed the basis for her to continue serving the community.

Chan outlined four main focuses including strengthening the local economy and making Johor Jaya as a transportation hub in eastern Johor Bahru that connects residents with the Rapid Transit System (RTS) project in addition to addressing traffic congestion issues.

The Johor Jaya state seat is witnessing a four-cornered contest involving Lee, Chan, Lau Yi Leong from Parti Bersama Malaysia (Bersama) and Independent candidate, Lim Hun Peaw.

The Johor state election witnessed a total of 172 candidates contesting for 56 state seats with polling day set for July 11, while early voting is on July 7.

For the latest news on the 16th Johor polls, visit https://prn.bernama.com/johor/.

-- BERNAMA

N42: JOHOR JAYA: 97,685

1. Lim Hun Peaw (Independent/IND)

2. Lau Yi Leong (Bersama)

3. Chan San San (BN-MCA)

4. Lee Wern Yiing (PH-DAP)

(2022: Liow Cai Tung: PH-DAP: Maj: 1,922)