KOTA BHARU - Pas boasts of imparting Islamic education among its people; however, unemployment, deforestation, floods, and poverty are just the tip of the iceberg in Kelantan, says Pakatan Harapan (PH).
PH Kelantan member Dr Wan Shah Jihan Wan Din said that the Malay Islamic Party has a lot of weaknesses and has failed to develop the state, popularly known as Cik Siti Wan Kembang (named after a legendary queen who reigned over a region on the east coast of Peninsular Malaysia).
To address all of these issues, PH Kelantan and the other opposition parties here have established a loose coalition called ‘Save Kelantan’, a medium for political parties and non-government organisations (NGOs) with the aim to make Kelantan a better state.
"Kelantan also has administrative weaknesses due to the state government, and it's obvious that people in Kelantan are suffering but their voices are not heard.
"With this coalition, I hope that we can deal with the issues in Kelantan, such as deforestation, drainage, floods, garbage, and others," Wan Shah said, who is also the Save Kelantan secretariat chief.
This coalition is also now working on the deforestation issue in Hulu Kelantan, specifically in Gua Musang.
"With a lot of logging activities ongoing, Kelantan is more susceptible now to flood problems.When deforestation is not controlled, it causes damage to underground water because there are no trees to prevent it.
"So the rainwater continues to enter the river, and this is one of the reasons why the floods in Kelantan are getting worse from year to year," he told Sinar Daily.
Wan Shah, who is a medical doctor at KPJ Healthcare Kota Bharu, further added that, because of the logging activities, the water source in Kelantan is dirty, even though this state receives a lot of rain every year.
"Pas Kelantan has previously issued a statement that it needs RM 7.3 billion to solve the water problem, but I see this as not just a money problem but a management problem," he explained.
Wan Shah further added that Pas has failed to solve simple problems such as clogged drains.
He also opined that the Kelantanese are still not open-minded. They still see Pas as a party that carries the image of Islam.