Life just gets started for Cheah Chee Kuan after election

Cheah Chee Kuan at Ipoh Office

".........before I left he ask me: “Can you change back your voting station to sungai siput since your are sungai siput boy?” ....."

On 28th March 2008, I have travel back to Ipoh, Perak on works related matters. I also wanted to visit cheah this time as curious how he is getting on after the election. I meet him up in his Ipoh office nearby “Super Kinta” @ Yik Fong Complexes.

He was handling phone call when I reach his office. I was curious as when did cheah have an office at Ipoh center. I only know he have office at Sungai Siput & Silibin, Jelapang.

Since when you have an office here?

I have three offices all the while but decided to close down the Silibin, Jelapang office and maintain only Ipoh & Sungai Siput office

Why?
No time to look after. Especially after elected as candidate for DUN Jalong. Just can’t find more time handling Legal business and by the same time dealing with political affair & community matters in Sungai Siput. So the best way is centralize the Ipoh operation to just one.

Any Post mortem by your party about the election?

Main cause is the “Rakyat” want to have change. These wind of change have blowing so strong that most of the voter see all the candidate bearing Barisan Nasional logo is not worth to be given a vote. The sentiment & emotional have taken up most of the voter voting pattern.

Is your defeat mainly cause by our beloved MP for 30 years; Samy Vellu?

Can’t say it is the main factor but the effect to results is definitely there. I do campaign together with Samy Vellu in some places but mostly we are not in a same place.

Base on the counting vote results that night, samy vellu vote is actually losing in most of the Jalong Seat polling station. However when the Lintang vote count in, Samy bound back and lose only bout 1,800 vote.

How is the feeling being running the campaign for 13 days?

Being a candidate sometimes very “innocent”. There are some cases where i was about to approach and introduce myself to voter, I been ignore and sometime scold without any reason. Just because I was representing BN.

I have heard that you been left many unsettle issue by the previous ADUN?

In politic or in settling matters, we can’t always keep both party happy all the time. Some voter are angry because feel being ignore but the real issue is maybe it just need time to come with the conclusion from various agencies at state & federal government. So I do still believe Dato Chang have done his best for the community all this while.

Are you aware of the klebang utama muslim grave yard case?
Yes. When the resident brings up the case to us, we have done some finding. First the project was not approved recently. It been approved back to few years time. And when it was approved few years back, Dato’ Chang was not sitting in the Exco meeting as he was oversea. Only last years they start to operate.

We organized dialogue with residents to settle the case. Yet the residents are accusing us being the one behind to support the muslim grave yard issue which is totally untruth. It is islam religion issue. How are we qualified to support or going to oppose it? And don’t forget by the time it approved, the area are not develop into residential area. It is just an empty land.

Although the residents are angry and some act emotionally by joining DAP, We have try our best to solve it. Latest as I know the grave yard area will not be stretch until housing area. It will not happen where the resident front view is grave yard. We have managed to negotiate that.

Now the MB of Perak is from PAS & also handling islam & land exco post, Do you think he will cancel the grave yard approval?
No. it is a sensitive issue for Muslim especially

Will you continue service Sungai Siput?
Definitely Yes. I still believe the voters will calm down & think seriously, is the candidate from DAP now really is the one voters wanted as representative for them & Sungai Siput? I just need to work harder from now on.

Saw any of our Methodist Friends in polling day?
Yes. Methodist friends were really supporting me not only by morally but also in action. Not forgotten friends from STMAA also.

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That’s some main point I able to ask cheah after election. Yes He will go on. As to further emphasize his determination to continuing serve sungai siput, before I left he ask me: “Can you change back your voting station to sungai siput since your are sungai siput boy?”

Quiet embarrassing I quickly reply Yes I will do that.

So for those still have parents & relative in sungai siput, hope you all will change back your polling station before next General Election.