LETTER | PN’s indifference towards Kelantan’s water woes is appalling

LETTER | Within the realm of political discourse in Malaysia, a recurring phenomenon involves the emergence of elected representatives who cast a shadow of disgrace upon the public service sector.

One such person is Kelantan’s caretaker Deputy Menteri Besar, Amar Nik Abdullah who has displayed his shocking lack of compassion while addressing Kelantan’s long-standing clean water problem.

“The villagers will think of their own solutions. They dig wells and get the water from underground.

“Not having tap water is not a big deal. They will figure it out themselves,” Amar was quoted as saying by China Press.

Where does one begin with dissecting such an irresponsible statement?

Not only has he dismissed the lack of clean water as “no big deal”, he assumes the burden should fall on the people of Kelantan to solve their own problems.

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

He also blames the federal government for insufficient financial aid in solving 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, PN and PAS had the opportunity and resources to resolve Kelantan’s water issues but failed to do so.

In fact, it was current Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim who announced an allocation of RM800 million to help resolve Kelantan and Sabah’s water troubles in 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 clean water crisis, they have muddied the situation by deflecting and pointing the finger at everyone but themselves.

By demonstrating their lack of empathy towards their own constituents, one can only conclude that the leadership of PN-PAS is as dubious as a glass of drinking water from Kelantan.

The views expressed here are those of the author/contributor and do not necessarily represent the views of Malaysiakini.