AMPANG: Pandan candidates have pledged to focus on the bread and butter issues facing the people there.
Barisan Nasional candidate, MCA Pandan chief Datuk Leong Kok Wee said he would focus on issues related to economic development and education.
"Pandan is near to the capital, Kuala Lumpur, and is in Selangor, the richest state in the country.
"Many more can be brought in to Pandan, not only those that already exist," he told reporters at the Pandan nomination centre located in Dewan Pandan Indah MPAJ today.
Leong, who is contesting for the second time, said every candidate has a fair chance to win before the result is announced.
"I have been in Pandan for more than 30 years, and this is my second time contesting. Each one of us (candidates) have our strengths and weaknesses. I will try my best and leave the rest to the voters.
"Most importantly, we want to bring stability and harmony to the community," he said.
Pakatan Harapan (PH) candidate, former Pandan member of parliament, Rafizi Ramli said he would listen to issues raised on the ground.
"In terms of voters' demography, Pandan is made up of urban voters who can relate to economic issues that have been stressed by Pakatan Harapan.
"But there is always a risk because sometimes we can't gauge the rakyat's sentiment precisely, so I have told my campaign machinery to lie low, not to be overconfident and listen to the people.
"Pandan is closely related to PKR and PH, but so many things have happened in the last 10 years, the last four years.
Pandan is a working class area and I know they have been feeling the pinch in the past three, four years. We must listen to the ground, insyallah. If we can do that, insyallah, it should be okay," he said.
Another former Pandan MP, Tan Sri Ong Tee Keat said he would focus on social issues.
"If I am re-elected, my focus will be on the economy, helping the youth on employment issues and also helping women."
Asked about his fight against Rafizi, the former MCA president said this was nothing new as he had always contested against "heavyweight" candidates in the past.
Pejuang candidate Nadia Hanafiah said her focus would be on fighting corruption and uniting the multi-racial society.
"From what I gathered, about 47 per cent of the voters are Chinese, more than 40 per cent are Malays and the rest comprise other races.
"I want to bring them together to fight corruption and achieve social integration. My background in corporate social responsibilities in various sectors, such as health, education and social, will help me with this," said the 53-year-old semi-retired candidate.