KUALA LUMPUR: On paper, the maligned Kinrara-Damansara Expressway (Kidex) project could dent the support for Pakatan Rakyat in one of its hard-core constituencies if the highway is constructed.

Although the loss in support would not be enough for the coalition to lose Selangor, a more serious blow would be to its credibility and its promises to Malaysians in general that it could offer something different from Barisan Nasional (BN).

This is why the majority of Pakatan politicians in Petaling Jaya are against the highway project even though many of them scored five-digit majorities in their areas in the 13th general election (GE13).

To these politicians Kidex is a serious test to their commitment to Pakatan’s ideals even if they defied the state government.

The RM2.42 billion highway project runs through the two parliamentary areas — Petaling Jaya Utara and Petaling Jaya Selatan — which together have a total of four state seats.

In 2013, the politically conscious voters of Petaling Jaya Utara and Selatan voted in Pakatan MPs Tony Pua and Hee Loy Sian with overwhelming majorities of more than 44,000 and 19,000 votes respectively.

The four state lawmakers of Damansara Utama, Kampung Tunku, Bukit Gasing and Taman Medan were voted in with majorities of between 3,000 and 30,000 votes.

Much of the anger towards the project, which residents believe would block already clogged roads and be dangerous to schoolchildren and pedestrians, has been directed at Pakatan.

Although Kidex was started by the BN federal government, residents are upset that the Pakatan state government allowed it to continue, knowing that it would carve up the already densely populated neighbourhoods.

In fact, a lot of the vitriol directed at Pakatan is characterised by feelings of betrayal and of being “sold out” by politicians they had put a lot of faith in.

“Where does the Selangor government stand with your election promise as stated in your 2013 GE13 manifesto?” said Selve Sugumaran Perumal (pic) of anti-Kidex group Say No to Kidex, which has rallied opposition to the project.

“I dare say if the Kidex Skyway gets built, Pakatan Rakyat will lose the next election and never again govern in Selangor as the rakyat will never forgive Pakatan Rakyat,” said Selve Sugumaran in a recent letter.

According to polling expert Ibrahim Suffian, local government issues such as an unpopular highway project could have an effect on support for a state government and incumbent elected representatives.

“It would turn off some people to Pakatan. But those numbers would be relatively small and would be limited to the people directly affected,” said Ibrahim, chief executive of the Merdeka Center.

Selangor BN chief Datuk Seri Noh Omar declined to comment when asked what his coalition’s stand was on Kidex.

DAP’s Rajiv Rishayakaran, who is Bukit Gasing assemblyman, and his colleagues have publicly opposed Kidex.

Politicians like Rajiv, Yeo Bee Yin (DAP-Damansara Utama) and Lau Weng San (DAP-Kampung Tunku) have come out with numerous statements to disprove the developer’s claims that Kidex would cut down jams and travel time.

“Our local councillors have also done a very good job of blocking [developer] Kidex Sdn Bhd from getting off the ground,” Rajiv told The Malaysian Insider.

Kidex Sdn Bhd has not submitted all the necessary documents and assessment reports for the Petaling Jaya City Council to study and determine whether the project should be approved.

Hee is arranging for businesses in his constituency to meet with Menteri Besar Mohamed Azmin Ali to press their case on why Kidex is bad for Petaling Jaya.

DAP’s Charles Santiago, who is Klang MP, said the Kidex issue was not just about one project which affected many neighbourhoods. It was about Pakatan’s vision of Selangor’s future, which many had bought into, said Santiago.

On paper, Pakatan can still win Selangor even if Kidex goes on.

But the reality is, if Pakatan can’t hold fast to its vision for Selangor, which it says is a model of a future federal government, how is it supposed to convince Malaysians to buy into their vision for Malaysia? — The Malaysian Insider

This article first appeared in The Edge Financial Daily, on November 12, 2014.