KLUANG (April 13): Barisan Nasional (BN) has promised to undertake five infrastructure projects for the Chinese and Indian communities here if they help elect its candidates for the Kluang Parliamentary constituency and the Mengkibol and Mahkota state seats.

The offer was made by Johor Menteri Besar Datuk Mohd Khaled Nordin  at an event to officiate the construction of Sekolah Agama Kerajaan Johor (SAKJ) Phase 5 here today.

BN offered the mostly Chinese villagers in Kampung Paya a development plan which will include an open basketball court. It also offered a multipurpose hall for the Indian community in Kluang Barat.

“These are our offers for the Chinese and Indian communities in Kluang. If we manage to wrest the Parliamentary seat of Kluang and the Mengkibol state seat from the opposition, and retain the Mahkota state seat, we promise to deliver these projects,” said Khaled.

In the 13th General Election (GE13), the Parliamentary seat of Kluang was won by DAP’s Liew Chin Tong. He defeated Hou Kok Chung from MCA with a majority of 7,359 votes.

Meanwhile, DAP’s Tan Hong Pin won the Mengkibol state seat with a 10,001-vote majority in 2013. The other state seat within the Kluang constituency was won by Datuk Md Jais Sarday of Umno with a majority of 1,108 votes.

Liew has decided to stand in the nearby Parliamentary seat of Ayer Hitam in GE14, against Datuk Seri Wee Ka Siong, the deputy president of MCA. Senai assemblyman Wong Shu Qi, will be DAP’s new candidate for Kluang.

Speaking at today’s event, Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said the BN is the only coalition that can deliver its promises to the voters in Kluang and the rest of Johor.

“The people in Kluang should not let themselves be made a transit for politicians from the opposition. They have used Kluang merely as a transit point, and do not have the intention to serve the people,” he said.