MUAR (Nov 14): Incumbent Member of Parliament (MP) of Muar, Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman is offering Muarians five priority areas over the next five years, if he is re-elected as their representative in the 15th general election (GE15).

These five priority areas were concocted with the aim to uplift the wellbeing of Muarians by creating better paying jobs and better living conditions and access to digital information and facilities for both citizens and businesses in the constituency.

The five offerings are:

The furniture-making industry in Muar is the largest in the country and the third-largest in Southeast Asia. According to Syed Saddiq, the industry exports RM15 billion worth of furniture all over the world, post the Covid-19 pandemic.

However, the industry is stuck in the low value-added stage of just becoming the factory of the world for furniture. As a result, the industry relies on cheap foreign labour and does not bring much value to the people of Muar in terms of job opportunities and incomes.

If elected as the MP for Muar for the second term, Syed Saddiq said he wants to promote the industry to expand towards downstream activities that have higher value-adds. To do this, he will work to get more matching grants for the automation of the furniture makers.

“First is to get more matching grants for automation and robotics from MITI and other ministries, to ensure that the furniture hub is no longer only reliant on foreign workers, but could also become automated.

“However, we should not only ask the manufacturers to do it (automate) themselves, as the capital that is needed to do this is very high. Therefore, you must get adequate matching grants from MITI and other relevant ministries, and this is something which I’ll work very closely on,” he said.

There are a lot of things that could be promoted in Muar as a tourism product, said Syed Saddiq. For example, the food and culture of the people of Muar can be promoted, not only to local tourists, but at the international level.

He cited the Georgetown Festival as an example on how the culture and attractions of Muar can be promoted. Therefore, if elected for the second term, he would work towards creating the “Muar Festival”, and promoting the “Full Moon Fiesta” in Parit Bugis.

The “Full Moon Fiesta” in Parit Bugis, Muar, unlike other full moon parties in island destinations all over Southeast Asia, is a celebration of cultural dance and music of the people of Muar, from both the Malay and Javanese communities.

Meanwhile, he will also work together with the private sector to upskill and reskill the talents in Muar to serve in the tourism industry.

Muar has already been known as one of the cleanest cities in Malaysia and one of the cleanest tourism cities in Southeast Asia. Its roads, especially in the middle of the town, are devoid of litter and cigarette buds, unlike most cities in Malaysia.

Syed Saddiq would now like to take this to a higher level, and work towards making Muar a sustainable and green-conscious city by gradually transiting out from being overly reliant on plastics, as well as introducing mechanisms to deal with waste cooking oils.

The drainage and irrigation system in Muar, especially in the outskirts of town and in the rural areas of Sungai Balang, will also be maintained periodically, so it would not be a reason for flash floods whenever there is heavy downpour.

Syed Saddiq also pledged to work to get more fundings to address the issue of coastal erosion, an issue that has been plaguing coastal cities and towns like Muar. Already, Muar has been allocated RM2 million to handle coastal erosion, but more funding is needed, he said.

During the Covid-19 pandemic, wherein physical studies were halted and replaced with online classes, many students from the B40 and M40 families were left behind due to the lack of gadgets.

In Muar, Syed Saddiq had been able to provide 2,100 quality laptops and tablets for students from low-income families. This initiative will be continued and expanded, so that each family will have at least one laptop or tablet, he said.

Further, the internet connectivity, especially in the rural areas of Muar, needs to be improved. While on paper, 4G connectivity is 100% in Muar, the situation on the ground is different due to network interference and dead zones.

He pledged to work with Telekom Malaysia Bhd to bring more fibre optic cables to Muar, so that the network of high-speed broadbands can be expanded in the constituency, especially in the rural areas.

To help small and medium enterprises to adopt digital payment systems, Syed Saddiq will work towards getting small grants for them, both for the adoption of e-wallet, as well as automation.

On the aspect of good governance, Syed Saddiq pledged that his service centre will continue to be audited by independent and internationally–renowned audit firms. Already, his service centre was already audited for improvements by EY (Ernst & Young).

He will institute town hall sessions, so that any major things that are proposed to be done in Muar will be consulted with the people first. He will also introduce impact assessment on all the spending and programmes done by his office in Muar.

On the implementation of major projects such as the Youth Hub, which has been allocated a budget of between RM20 million and RM25 million by the government, Syed Saddiq promised to continue overseeing the implementation, so that it is done according to specifications and within budget.

He also proposed to start a digital library in Muar, so that access to information for all people in Muar, including the rural citizens, is available.

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