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PERAK : Malaysia's Perak state government, one of five being ruled by the opposition, is being put under the microscope amid high expectations from the electorate.
After 50 years under the rule of Barisan Nasional (BN), residents of Perak voted for change and are now expecting the coalition government to run the state to its proper potential.
Known in its heyday for being the world's number one producer of tin ore, its economy has since stagnated.
But Perak - rich with natural resources - has all the ingredients to help it bounce back to becoming a top destination for manufacturing.
"Makkal Sakti", which means "People Power" in Tamil, is sprayed across the hoardings of a temple built into the side of one of Ipoh's many limestone caves.
The words remain as a silent reminder that religion will always play a central role in Malaysian politics.
When word spread that Hindu temples were being demolished in the neighbouring state of Selangor, it evolved into a highly-emotive issue in Perak.
Coupled with the frustration that non-Malays are missing out on education and job opportunities, it left a sour taste among the sizeable Indian population in Perak.
Jeyan Dorairaj, Keadilan Youth leader, Ipoh, Perak, said, "They also demolished the temples and quarters without giving prior notice. The temples are not a few years (old) but 100, 150, 200 years old."
The end result is that it destroyed the Indian support for the Malaysian Indian Congress (MIC) - a component party within the BN.
The electorate also gave a resounding 'no' to Mr Samy Vellu who heads the MIC - costing him his parliamentary seat, which he had held for eight terms.
But MIC stalwarts who did make it to parliament remain optimistic, citing areas in which intervention is already under way.
Dr S Subramaniam, Malaysian Minister of Human Resources, MIC Secretary-General, said, "In education, recently we've announced quite a big sum of money for the restructuring and repairing of Tamil schools. And we are continuing the talks to ensure that the government's role in the maintenance of Tamil schools will be increased.
"The other area is in terms of training of our youth in skilled areas so that employment opportunities will be higher...we have opened greater avenues so that Indian youth will be empowered with skills, so that they can get better jobs and increase their productivity.
"The other areas are related to religion and temples, in which the government has already come with a policy that temples will be relocated in a way in which it will not hurt the sensitivities of the community, and adequate places will be provided for places of worship.
"In the areas of employment in the civil service, improvement can (already) be seen, the number of Indian boys has increased over the last few months, so there is a lot of work going on addressing these problems, and I think it will continue, so the community won't feel that it has been sidelined."
Education also remains a key concern among the Perak electorate.
Amid growing calls for access to tertiary institutions to be open to all - regardless of race - state governments are in a fix.
Mr Jeyan said, "After our studies, no scholarships or loans were given; we all studied using our own money. We want our government to provide subsidies for all the races...we have to give the same amount to all (the races). (There should be) no quota system (for university places). We want all to be equal".
Thomas Su Keong Siong, DAP State assemblyman, Perak State Executive Councillor, said, "In terms of brain drain, I think we are the second highest or third highest in the country partly because there is nothing going on in Perak at the moment. All the school leavers when they finish their Form Five or Form Six, straight away they will think 'I want to study in KL, Singapore, everywhere except Perak'. So we must change that, make Perak their first choice."
These changes may take time, as education - under the Malaysian Constitution - comes under the purview of the Federal Government.
However the coalition government is not sitting still.
As part of its ongoing efforts to transform Perak into a centre of excellence, state authorities are exploring the possibility of setting up a university that is open to all Perak residents - all Malaysians.
But there is also another challenge - the need to attract big companies to invest so that job creation will stem the migration of young Perak residents to other states.
Mr Su said, "Certainly I think one thing we would like to bring up is in terms of investment and industries, whether we can bring in industries to create more jobs and prevent or at least slow down the migration of young people, Perak residents to other states. It's not a short term solution, but at least we should plan how to encourage big companies to come in and set up in Perak. In fact there is plenty of land available that we can exploit, in a sense, for big companies and factories to come in..."
As for those issues that go beyond the prerogative of the state, Perak residents have sent a clear signal.
Of the 24 parliamentarians, 11 hail from the opposition and they are going all the way to Parliament to ensure the voice of the people will be heard.
Lim Kit Siang, DAP MP for Ipoh (timur) Perak, DAP advisor, said, "The test here will be not so much on the opposition but on the national front. Whether as the prime minister said after the March 8 result, he has finally heard the voice of the people..."
Marina Mahathir, Columnist and Blogger, said, "It will be Parliament where it matters and you know we have a bigger opposition; they should be using that opportunity to address these issues and force some change. They are a force to be reckoned with and they should take advantage of that."
This means that staying united despite their different party platforms and ideologies is a crucial point in Perak.
The Pakatan Rakyat coalition comprising the DAP, Parti Keadilan Rakyat and PAS have been thrown into a situation where cooperation will remain the key operative word.
And as the Perak state government works towards meeting the hopes and aspirations of its people, they can count on one thing - the BN as the state opposition will be there to keep them in check. - CNA/ms
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