JOHOR BARU – Muda’s candidate for the Puteri Wangsa state seat has joined calls to open the Malaysia-Singapore border.
However, Amira Aisya cautioned that such a move will require precautions and strict standard operating procedure (SOP) compliance.
“If you can open the borders for people to perform umrah and haj, which is commendable, I don’t see why the same can’t be done with Singapore and Johor.
As long as SOPs are taken care of, there are enough people vaccinated, and Covid-19 tests are done, among other things, I don’t see an issue with it,” Amira said in an exclusive interview with The Vibes.
Acknowledging that Johor’s economy is, to a certain degree, dependent on Singapore, she said that the closure of the border has made a significant impact on the state’s commercial health.
Furthermore, Amira said families have been separated for too long because of the border closure, and believes that Johorean workers in Singapore should be able to return to some degree of normalcy by now.
Meanwhile, touching on her candidacy for Puteri Wangsa, Amira explained that her mother served as a headmistress at a secondary school in the constituency.
“Puteri Wangsa is where most of my family is, and I want to make this place better and safe,” Amira said, noting that she had spent more than a decade in the area.
She reiterated her three-pronged approach for addressing issues in Puteri Wangsa: the economy, education, and safety.
Red tape, lack of govt support: challenges faced by Puteri Wangsa entrepreneurs?
Amira says that Puteri Wangsa has a significant presence of small and medium enterprises, whose economic conditions are made worse by a seemingly apathetic government.
“The problem is that people don’t get enough support from the government to boost the economy here.
Further, business operators face unnecessary red tape; for example, dealing with documents that are constantly changing, which makes it tough to get licensing.
“My brother has waited for a year for permanent licensing to operate his business,” Amira said.
Digital learning systems lack inclusivity
With regard to education, Amira mentioned that digital learning has resulted in a vast number of students being held back in their lessons.
This, she says, is due to the fact that digital learning systems lack inclusivity.
“If a father and mother with two phones have four children, how will they share gadgets for online classes?
“Only two will be able to participate in the process, assuming the parents are not using their phones.
“I think when it comes to Puteri Wangsa, I want to ensure all students have adequate tools to support the new norm in schools,” she added.
In terms of safety, Amira highlighted occurrences of breaking and entering in the constituency.
She says when addressing issues concerning security, it is crucial to also take into account the welfare of frontliners.
“When you take care of their (frontliners’) welfare, they can easily ensure the safety of the people here.
If elected as an assemblywoman, I want to ensure they have all the necessities to do their job,” Amira added.
‘Corruption, abuse of power, BN’ are the real enemies: Amira, on PKR-Muda fiasco
Viewing the upcoming Johor polls as a war, Amira reminds those in her party and the Pakatan Harapan (PH) coalition that their enemy is Barisan Nasional (BN).
Pointing out that there is no public friction between the respective leadership of Muda and PH, she said supporters of the pact should follow suit and refrain from trading barbs with each other.
I urge my friends in Muda and PH to set aside any differences they have.
“The differences that we have are not as serious as the enemy we are fighting.
“We are fighting corruption, abuse of power, and BN,” said Amira.
Constituencies belong to people, not parties: Amira
On February 10, it was reported that an electoral pact between Muda, Amanah and DAP saw the newly registered party being offered to contest six seats in Johor, which includes Puteri Wangsa.
However, Johor PKR Wanita chief Napsiah Khamis Maharan, who was initially slated to contest in Puteri Wangsa, expressed discontent over the decision.
Napsiah, who was announced as a candidate for the Kempas seat on Monday, said PKR had originally allocated the Puteri Wangsa constituency to Amanah, not Muda.
Amira said that the backlash on social media over the issue was expected, but she believes it did not come from PKR or Amanah.
She added that she believes the friction between supporters of the opposition bloc was fueled by PKR and Muda supporters.
“Firstly, constituencies don’t belong to a party until after they are won.
“Even then, a constituency actually belongs to its people. They decide who represents them.” – The Vibes, February 17, 2022
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