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S. Manikavasagam I HAVE been fired from many jobs and arrested over my social activist programmes before I became a member of parliament for Kapar.
Prior to that, my whole life revolved around fighting against any injustice and issues of human rights under various non-governmental organisations like Policewatch. My unexpected win in Kapar opened my eyes to a whole world of issues and made me realise that I had the power to make a change. After winning the Kapar parliamentary seat by a big majority, I also realised that my constituents wanted a change. They have such high hopes in me, especially the Indians who make up 13 per cent of Kapar's 112,224 registered voters. Kapar was a foreign area to me because I was actively involved in helping people at Batu Caves. In fact, I wanted to be an MP for Batu Caves but respected the party's request to contest in Kapar. As a first-time MP, I was quite nervous but my experience in dealing with constituency issues with senior MPs from PKR helped me cope with mine. Issues in my constituency range from stateless people to clogged drains and perpetual flood problems. We have set up four service centres in Klang, one in each state assembly seat and have staff recording complaints or grouses from those who visit the centres. They report back to me and if any of the complaints needs the state government's attention, I bring the matter up with Selangor Menteri Besar Datuk Abdul Khalid Ibrahim. Otherwise, I try to help as many people as possible, especially with land title issues and stateless persons since I have experience in dealing with such problems. We are saddened by the fact that we have no proper allocation for remedial work such as replacing the drainage system to overcome flood problems. There are so many economic and social issues in Kapar, including high unemployment and crime rate and investors pulling out causing some businesses to close down. We have tried discussing with the police on efforts to reduce the crime rate but find it difficult to get cooperation. The last thing I want to do is hit out at the police. I want to work with them. There is much work that needs to be done. Although I have to sacrifice my privacy and time with my family, I will not rest until I see a safe and well-developed constituency. - nst
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HATS OFF TO YOU, MANIKASAVAGAM, for your undivided love and caring for the rakyat. I understand what you have gone through, and appreciate very much the contribution you provide for the people.
Take good care of yourself and may God bless you and family !!