A RECURRING phenomenon in politics are elected representatives who bring disgrace to the public service sector.

One such person is Kelantan’s caretaker deputy menteri besar Amar Nik Abdullah, who showed a shocking lack of compassion while addressing the state’s long-standing problem of clean water supply.

 “The villagers will think of their own solutions. They dig wells and get the water from underground,” Amar was quoted as saying by China Press.

“Not having tap water is not a big deal. They will figure it out themselves.”

Where does one begin dissecting such an irresponsible statement?

Not only did he dismiss the lack of clean water as “no big deal”, he assumed the burden of the problem should fall on the people of Kelantan.

Even more shameful was that Amar chose to criticise the opposition in Kelantan for raising the issues.  

He also blamed the federal government for insufficient financial aid to resolve the problem.

Perhaps it had slipped his mind that Perikatan Nasional was the federal government not too long ago.

In fact, in the three years they were in Putrajaya, Perikatan and PAS had the opportunity and resources to resolve Kelantan’s water issues but failed to do so.

In fact, it was Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim who announced an allocation of RM800 million to resolve Kelantan and Sabah’s water troubles, after less than a year of being in office.

Like a leaky faucet, the PN-PAS state government has only offered drips of assistance to the people of Kelantan. Not only do they lack the strategy and determination to solve Kelantan’s water crisis, they have muddied the situation by deflecting and pointing the finger at everyone else.

Judging by their lack of empathy for their own constituents, one can only conclude that the PN-PAS leadership is as dubious as a glass of drinking water from Kelantan. – August 11, 2023.

* Jai Naeer reads The Malaysian Insight.
 

* This is the opinion of the writer or publication and does not necessarily represent the views of The Malaysian Insight. Article may be edited for brevity and clarity.