KLANG – Once a bustling market with familiar faces and people of all races doing business together, today the Pandamaran morning market is slowly being taken over by migrants.
“I know it is getting (more) common as Malaysians opt to work in the cities, malls, and air-conditioned stores. In many towns like this, familiar faces are being replaced with foreign workers. It’s an evolution of some sort but it’s sad to see things change,” said Perikatan Nasional’s Pandamaran hopeful B. Gunalan.
He said the town was well-known as a hub for good Chinese food including seafood, bah kut teh, and other local Chinese dishes.
“I grew up in Highland Estate, which was later cleared for development and is now known as Bukit Tinggi. Years ago, when the estate was cleared, many of my relatives and friends moved out to other areas including Pandamaran. So when I was named as a candidate for this seat, it felt like a reunion with family and friends from my younger days,” said Gunalan.
Having lost his father at the age of 15, Gunalan and his family had a tough time as they struggled for basic needs and meals.
“We used to have teh O and two tawa biscuits each, for breakfast, lunch, and dinner,” he said, adding that rice was a once-in-two-weeks luxury. “We were always hungry. I remember my mother’s tears as she watched us going to sleep in hunger.”
Aged 19, he formed a dance group called Banting Metro Dancers. The group of five was popular then as the Malaysia Prabhu Deva group. Prabhu Deva is a famous dancer and choreographer from India.
“Those days, stage shows were popular. We used to get paid between RM600 to RM1,500 per show, depending on where we were performing,” he recalled.
The money he made as a dancer, funded his education and supported his family’s expenses.
Today, as he walked about the Pandamaran market, he said flash floods were a major issue in the area and was one of the local community’s main woes.
“Unlike the Sri Muda area, the issue here is very much caused by the poor drainage system, overgrown weeds and vegetation, especially in the drains. These cause water to retain and unable to subside when there is heavy rainfall,” said the former Kuala Langat councillor.
Gunalan said the flooding issue had been raised since 2013, when the local authorities then had agreed to resolve it, part by part, given that the area is huge, with 75,777 registered voters.
“Promises have been made for years but the political will to address it is lacking. If only that one issue is tackled, the residents will be happy,” he said.
Gunalan, who is contesting under the PN-Bersekutu ticket for the Pandamaran seat is facing a tough battle against incumbent Tony Leong of Pakatan Harapan and Tan Kang Yap from Parti Rakyat Malaysia.
Earlier, Tony took a swipe at Gunalan’s poor translation of campaign leaflets into Mandarin and uploaded them on his Facebook.
“Instead of finding fault in my translation leaflets, it would be better if Tony focussed on issues affecting the constituency such as the flash floods and poor infrastructure. He has been too comfortable since winning the seat that he has forgotten his responsibilities,” Gunalan said. – The Vibes, August 10, 2023
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