Barisan Nasional's candidate for Pasir Gudang Noor Azleen Ambros (left, in white) speaking to villagers at the Kampung Orang Asli Kuala Masai, Pasir Gudang.
PASIR GUDANG: Repairing the Pasir Gudang Highway will be the first thing that the Pakatan Harapan government will do if PKR president Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim is elected as the Prime Minister, says Hassan Abdul Karim.
The incumbent Pasir Gudang MP said that the issues with the Pasir Gudang Highway have been going on for a long time with no real solutions given.
“Based on the information given to me by the Public Works Department (JKR), their main issue is a lack of funds to conduct the road repair work,” he said when contacted Wednesday (Nov 16).
He added that if Pakatan wins in the 15th General Election (GE15), it will ensure that this is attended to immediately.
Hassan shared that he had earlier visited one of the reported locations that was often damaged by heavy vehicles, a stretch from KM24 to KM29.
“There's about a 5km stretch that needs urgent repairs.
“I also understand that there is an incoming project to expand the highway from four lanes to six lanes, but while waiting for this, short-term repairs should be done, at least,” he said.
Meanwhile, Barisan Nasional's candidate for Pasir Gudang Noor Azleen Ambros said that having Anwar as prime minister was not a concrete answer to the highway issues.
“If you ask me, my solution is that we need to revive the train route from the ports in Pasir Gudang towards Kempas.
“As we know, Pasir Gudang has two international ports, namely Tanjung Langsat Port and Johor Port, which contributes directly to the usage of large vehicles on the highway.
“The usage is not only during peak hours but constantly every day, causing the road life expectancy to reduce even when you repave the road frequently.
"By having a train route specifically designed to carry cargo, we can reduce the number of heavy vehicles on the highway while also improving the safety of other road users," he explained.
Noor Azleen added that Pasir Gudang needs an effective MP to champion this matter, as it requires the cooperation of the Transport Ministry and the Economic Planning Unit (EPU) of the Prime Minister's Department due to the huge financial allocation it needs.
"This is my solution if I am given the opportunity to become the MP because we need a solid plan that can be implemented," he added.
Noor Azleen also shared that Pasir Gudang was a unique constituency as it does not only have Malay, Chinese, and Indian voters but also voters from Sabah, Sarawak, and Orang Asli.
"We will ensure that every policy and development we implement benefits everyone, just as we did before the change in government following GE14," he said.
