*LEGAL EAGLE MORE THAN HAPPY TO SERVE *
Date :12 January 2009
*TWO*-term Pasir Pinji assemblyman Thomas Su Keong Siong is well known for his strong commitment to the needs of his constituents.
He is a leader who is more concerned with keeping his house in order rather than politicking and due to this has earned great respect from his constituents regardless of race.
A lawyer by profession, the 42-year-old DAP politician is also very popular with his voters due to his vast legal knowledge. He is the main source of reference for those seeking legal advice which he usually provides for free during meet-the people sessions at his service centre along Jalan Sultan.
As for Su, he is glad that his legal knowledge has helped him perform his duties as well as developing personal contacts with those who had voted for him.
Speaking to Perak News Online recently, Su who is also state Higher Education, Science, Technology and Communications Committee chairman said an immediate solution was needed to solve the flash flood problem affecting 50 homes in Kampung Baru Pasir Pinji.
He said the affected residents were losing their patience as they have been putting up with the problem for quite sometime and incurred a lot of losses in terms of damage to their property.
He urged the state Drainage and Irrigation Department to speed up deepening Sungai Pinji to stop water from overflowing to the nearby housing estates whenever it rains.
Besides being heavily silted, he said Sungai Pinji was also facing serious clogging problems due to the attitude of the residents who tend to throw rubbish into the river.
Being one of the urban constituencies, issues such as irregular collection of rubbish and clogged drains are among the mounting complaints Su has to deal with. He said the problem would not be tackled unless the Ipoh City Council bucked up and provide a more efficient service to the people.
Touching on other matters, Su said the decision by the state government to allow the conversion of land titles from leasehold to permanent status was well received by the Pasir Pinji New Village residents.
So far, more than 1,000 villagers in his constituency have applied for the conversion, said Su who won with a thumping 6,993 vote-majority in the March 8 general election.
He said voters in his area had requested for the Pasir Pinji market to be upgraded, adding they were unhappy with the RM200,000 upgrading work carried out by Barisan Nasional. The residents, he said, claimed the contractor had carried out a sloppy job.
Su said he had tackled some of the minor issues affecting the market such as frequent power failures by replacing the old wiring system using the allocation he received from the state government.
He also lamented at the absence of a proper public transport system in Pasir Pinji, adding that he hoped the problem would be solved with the state government's proposal to introduce a more efficient bus service.
Meanwhile, several voters when met expressed confidence in the ability of the Pakatan Rakyat state government to administer and develop the state.
Former teacher Hoh Chak Shon, 68, from Taman Melor said he believed Su would continue being a good wakil rakyat based on his excellent track record. He said Su's humble and friendly character has made it easy for people to work with him.
Koh Toh Long, 62, from Pasir Pinji New Village said the Pakatan Rakyat state government has done a lot of good to the people by issuing permanent land titles to them. He said the new land policy has ended his 40-year long wait to get a permanent land title.
PERAK NEWS ONLINE
