JOHOR BARU: Incumbent Johor Baru member of parliament Akmal Nasrullah Nasir of Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) said he would ensure the people's needs were well taken care off, should he be re-elected.
Speaking after a ceramah here, Akmal said he wanted to see the building of suitable housing for the city's residents, the creation of more jobs from attracting investments, and the provision of healthcare facilities for the city's ageing population.
He said while Pakatan Harapan's (PH) first priority was to combat corruption, it would not neglect bread-and-butter concerns such as jobs, better housing and healthcare.
The 36-year-old will be defending his seat in a four-cornered fight against Johan Arifin Ropi of Barisan Nasional, Mohtaj Yacob of Perikatan Nasional and Hairy Mahmood of Parti Pejuang Tanah Air.
"I have spoken in parliament about the cancer of corruption and how it has threatened the future of this country if it is not reduced drastically and got rid of eventually," said the former Angkatan Muda PKR leader.
"I will focus on corruption, not only exposing politicians involved in political scandals but also to give an understanding that corruption can affect the society at large," he told the New Straits Times.
Akmal, who will be defending his parliamentary seat for the second time, said it was important to raise awareness of the detrimental effects of corruption.
"But issues of more jobs and suitable housing are of great concern not only in Johor Baru but also the whole state."
He said that housing for the middle-and-lower income groups was inadequate and that it was vital to make the price of homes affordable for the rakyat.
He pointed out that there was a growing ageing population in Johor Baru that required an upgrade in healthcare facilities.
"Provisions must be made in this area."
He stressed that he will also focus on the struggle to reduce the cost of living as well as proposals to increase the people's wages or income.
He said another issue which had to be tackled was the exodus of Johor Baru youths for Kuala Lumpur or Singapore.
"This is something we need to look at and address fast," he said.
"If only we can create more job opportunities for them with decent wages, many may want to stay on rather than leave Johor," he said.
He urged Malaysians to come out to vote on Nov 19 and exercise their rights as every vote counts.
For those who are currently staying abroad, he urged them to return to cast their votes.
"The time has come to elect the next government and we must ensure that it must be a transparent government with proper accountability."
Akmal won the Johor Baru parliament seat in GE14 in 2018 defeating Shahrir Abdul Samad of BN with a majority of 19,782 votes.
