Time of reckoning for Luyang rep who jumped to BN

Hiew King Cheu will find out whether his switch from DAP to BN will pay off and his track record in helping constituents will be recognised.

KOTA KINABALU: It is one of the smallest constituencies in Sabah but it is among the most densely-populated areas in the state.

About 85,000 people live within its 16 sq km area and among them is Chief Minister Musa Aman.

Luyang, about 3km from downtown Kota Kinabalu, was the first suburb of the state capital that sprouted housing estates nearly 50 years ago.

Since then, the area has been a hotspot for housing and commercial projects, lately focusing on condominiums as land has become scarce, with security and privacy gaining greater importance.

Trying to meet the myriad demands of folk who call Luyang home is the seat’s state assemblyman Hiew King Cheu, an engineer by profession.

Hiew (third from left) handing over cooking equipment to the Hospital Mesra Bukit Padang.

Luyang is one the three state seats that make up the Kota Kinabalu parliamentary seat where Hiew had served as MP between 2008 and 2013. The other two seats are Likas and Api Api.

He won the Kota Kinabalu parliamentary seat in 2008 and the Luyang state constituency in 2013 on a DAP ticket.

Hiew won Luyang with a 8,676-vote majority in a four-cornered contest, his closest rival being BN’s Agnes Shim Tshin Nyuk, of MCA.

He secured 11,213 votes compared with Shim who received 2,537 votes. Melanie Chia Chui Ket of SAPP obtained 1,694 votes and Jefery Jomion of STAR had to settle for just 259 votes.

Just months after winning Luyang, Hiew quit DAP over a disagreement about who was to be the opposition chief in the state assembly.

In June 2014, he signed up with MCA, giving the party its sole Sabah state assembly seat.

As he put it, the switchover from the opposition to BN has benefited Luyang folk greatly.

Hiew reckons about 350 projects of various types and magnitudes have been carried out in Luyang over the past four years, thanks to the RM5 million in state assemblyman funds he has had access to since 2014.

He said there was another RM2 million to be made available this year.

“I would not have had the opportunity to do anything as an opposition assemblyman simply because the funds would not be there,” Hiew said.

He said among the projects that have been carried out were replacing street lights in Luyang’s main commercial areas — Foh Sang, Borneon and Lido.

Sidewalks along major roads have been upgraded for the benefit of pedestrians while jogging tracks have been provided at four housing areas and playgrounds upgraded.

The funds have also been used to provide dustbins for some 1,600 households around Luyang.

Hiew said the focus has also been on beautifying Luyang with the planting of some 1,000 Sabah “sakura” trees that bloom yearly around May.

“Of course, there is still more to be done. Foremost is resolving the traffic jam problem in Luyang and around Kota Kinabalu,” he said.

“Several proposals have been made, including the provision of a monorail, and this has the attention of the government,” Hiew said.

He said among the problems that needed to be resolved as well was the lack of parking at the Queen Elizabeth 1 Hospital.

Hiew said also a priority for him was to resolve traffic congestion at several major secondary schools around Luyang, particularly around the time when classes end.

“Part of the problem is indiscriminate parking by parents and those fetching the students. Creating awareness is part of the solution, apart from improving traffic flow,” he added.

Luyang, like other urban seats where the Chinese are the majority, is usually dominated by the opposition but Hiew reckons his work in the constituency over the past five years can turn things around.

“I believe that if you work hard and do good for the people, they will support you,” he said.

“We have to show the people that we are working for them. We don’t need to resort to anything dubious,” he said, referring to claims by his former colleagues in DAP that the Luyang voters’ list contained discrepancies.

Sabah DAP publicity secretary Phoong Jin Zhe said the validity of the electoral roll for Luyang arose after they found as many as 13 voters registered at one address and the present occupant could not identify any of them.

Hiew said due to its proximity to the city, many have stayed at Luyang, registered as voters and eventually moved elsewhere.

“It’s not surprising to find multiple individuals at the same address. They were probably renting there for a while and then moved somewhere else,” he said.

Hiew is also not worried about squaring off against the DAP in the coming polls if he is picked as the BN candidate there.

“People are not looking at just the party but are questioning what DAP has done for them in practical terms,” he added.

Former Luyang community development leader Benny Quek.

Activist Benny Quek, a Luyang native, notes that folk there have noticed improvements in the constituency over the past four years.

“There are better sidewalks now, covers for the monsoon drain near the Foh Sang market and an awning there as well. These are definitely welcome.

“But will these have an impact on Luyang voters and how they will decide? I don’t know,” said Quek who was the area’s community development leader between 1999 and 2008.

Whether Hiew is chosen to defend Luyang also remains a question mark.

Luyang has 23,000 voters, 85% of whom are Chinese, 10% non-Muslim Bumiputeras and 3% Muslim Bumiputeras.

MCA’s Shim, whom Hiew defeated in 2013, is now the Luyang community development leader.

Word is that Shim’s daughter, Dr Pamela Yong, a dentist, is among the names being bandied about as the possible candidate there.

Hiew though will have to bank on his track record over the past four years to see him through.

The views expressed in the contents are those of our users and do not necessarily reflect the views of FMT.

Sumber Time of reckoning for Luyang rep who jumped to BN

Jualan Baju Kurung Terbaik!!!

Baju Kanak-Kanak Harga Murah

Tweet