AMID the politicking on both sides of the divide in GE14, Malaysia Decides is focusing on what parliamentary candidates will stand for and what they rate as the country’s most urgent problems. We ask them five questions about their role as federal lawmakers, if they are elected.

Mukhriz Mahathir’s parliamentary career started when he won the Jerlun federal seat back in the 2008 general election, defeating PAS’ Idris Ahmad by 2,205 votes. In the 2013 election, he contested and won a state seat, and was appointed Kedah Menteri Besar under Barisan Nasional. Now, the former Umno leader is with the opposition Pakatan Harapan after being ousted as menteri besar through a vote of no-confidence in the state assembly for openly criticising Umno president and Prime Minister Najib Razak.

In this election, he is looking to wrest Jerlun from his successor, BN’s Othman Aziz, and is also contesting in the state seat of Jitra.

Q: What will you fight for in Parliament?

Mukhriz: We have been a very agrarian constituency, so the needs are very much involved with padi. At the same time, there are more social needs like housing and job opportunities.

We may be in the same district as Kubang Pasu, but the level of development between the two parliamentary seats within the Kubang Pasu district is very different. Kubang Pasu has a university, and more amenities, and then Jerlun is like this. I hope there will be more balance between the two constituencies.

Q: What are the three most urgent problems in the country?

Mukhriz: Governance, because when you have a lack of governance at the very top, your policies won’t take the needs of the people into consideration. Hence, you have the goods and services tax and corruption.

There is also (misallocation) of expenditure by the government in projects that do not really benefit the people. The people have very specific needs that are not met by the government.

I think these are the most important things that the new government should focus on.

Q: What is the solution?

Mukhriz: Change the government, that’s the first thing. I cannot see any change happening with the same old, same old.

Q: What is the state of the nation?

Mukhriz: BN is in a state of denial. They can believe what they want to, but all you need to do is ask the average man on the street if things are better now than, maybe, five or even ten years ago. He will tell you that it’s a tough time to make ends meet.

Before, you could still live even on a low income. The price of fish wasn’t as it is now and we could still send our kids to schools. There were subsidies that we enjoyed, and now with all that has been taken away from us, I think everyone is feeling the pinch.

The BN government can say what they like. The people absolutely disagree with them.

Q: Why should voters pick you?

Mukhriz: I think that they need someone who is seriously concerned about what issues Jerlun and Kedah in general are facing that need to be debated very thoroughly in Parliament, so that we can effect change at the government level in the hope that policies from the new government will directly benefit the people.

Right now, you have a deputy finance minister defending the GST. When people (complain about it), he says GST is good for us. When we complain about the 6%, he says it’s actually very low. So we are very concerned that if BN wins again in GE14, the GST will not only continue but may actually increase. – April 30, 2018.