Solutions to locals’ woes needed
JOHOREANS are urging their wakil rakyat to bring up issues concerning the well-being and welfare of the people when the state legislative assembly meets next week.

Legal secretary Dahlia Nonteh Mohd Mokhtar said discussions and debates on matters related to Bangsa Johor should take place.

“There are many issues that our representatives need to address with short, medium and long-term solutions,’’ she said in an interview.

Bhaskaran wants more jobs created to prevent locals from seeking work in Singapore.Dahlia, 46, is hoping that Johor assemblymen would be sensible and mature when debating issues at the opening of the assembly.

She said among the main issues that needed to be looked into were escalating prices of essential goods and high cost of living, especially in Johor Baru.

“The rising cost of basic ingredients in recent months is affecting those from the lower-income bracket as well as middle-income wage earners,’’ added Dahlia.

A watch shop proprietor, Phang Yon Siong, 64, who runs his business on Jalan Trus in Johor Baru, wants Larkin assemblyman Mohd Hairi Mad Sah to address the parking problem in the city.

“Lack of parking bays is affecting businesses within the city centre and this has been going on for over 10 years,’’ he said.

Phang said most of the parking bays located within walking distance from the Bangunan Sultan Iskandar Customs, Immigration and Quarantine (CIQ) Complex were occupied by locals working in Singapore.

He pointed to the completion of the Johor Baru-Singapore Rapid Transit Link System (JBS Transit Link) by end-2026 as a solution that he hopes the state authorities will consider.

Phang hopes the authorities will address parking woes affecting businesses in JB.Phang also suggested for Mohd Hairi, who is state youth, sports, entrepreneur development and cooperative committee chairman, to take steps to make the city vibrant after office hours.

“The city is a dead town after dark and we need to attract people to the city centre which is good for businesses,’’ he urged.

Phang recalled the famous outdoor hawker centre in Jalan Ungku Puan that was popularly known to locals, as well as Singaporeans, as the “Hard Rock Cafe of JB” back in the 1980s and 90s.

“Why not restart the outdoor hawker centre as street food always attracts crowds but we must be strict about hygiene and cleanliness,’’ he said.

Retiree N. Bhaskaran, 84, said the state government would need to create more jobs if Johor wants to become a developed state by 2030.

“The lack of job opportunities is the main reason why Johoreans and locals from other states migrate to work in Singapore,’’ he said.

Bhaskaran recalled how Johor lawmakers had, for many years, brought up the issue of losing locals to Singapore but the problem has remained unresolved until today.

“The weakening of the ringgit against the Singapore dollar in recent months has attracted many locals to seek jobs in the republic,’’ he added.

Bhaskaran has two sons, a 35-year-old and 60-year-old, who have been working as mechanical engineers there for many years. Three of his grandchildren also work in Singapore.

The Johor State Assembly sitting is scheduled from May 9 until May 19.
Lawmakers,Johor State Assembly,Bangsa Johor,Jobs,Johor Baru city
JOHOREANS are urging their wakil rakyat to bring up issues concerning the well-being and welfare of the people when the state legislative assembly meets next week.