State polls: Sungai Burong folk yearning for better infrastructure

SUNGAI Burong is one of two state seats under the Tanjong Karang parliamentary constituency in Selangor, with Permatang as the other seat.

Made up of a small township and a river meandering through, Sungai Burong is surrounded by padi fields and oil palm plantations.

There are also a few small-scale farms that grow various other crops.

Although the area has Chinese and Indians, it is predominantly made up of a large Javanese-Malay community.

A resident from Sungai Burong, Shafie Hamid, 39, said the place needed infrastructure upgrades.

“We had a public park in town years ago where the local community would go for recreation, but it was later removed by the district council.

“We hope the people of Sungai Burong will get their public recreational area back soon,” said Shafie, who lives in Bagan Tengkorak.

Sungai Burong Sri Mahamarianman Temple treasurer K. Nadarajan said the Indian community in the constituency needed a proper hall to hold religious, cultural and social events.

“We have been asking for a hall for many years now and I hope our request will be looked into soon,’’ he said, adding that there were some 500 registered Indian voters in the Sungai Burong constituency.

Lindee Keow, 30, who is from Bagan Sungai Burong, wished the streetlights would be repaired as soon as the election was over.

“There are many streetlights here but almost all are not working and it gets very dangerous at night time,’’ she said.

Keow also hopes that the new assemblyman will pressure the local council to trim the trees and carry out landscaping work to beautify the area.

The Sungai Burung constituency will see a straight fight between Tanjong Karang Umno division vice-chairman Mohamad Khir Ramli, 53, from Barisan Nasional, and PAS candidate Dr Mohd Zamri Mohd Zainuldin, 44, from Perikatan Nasional who is contesting the seat he lost in 2018.

The incumbent for the constituency is Datuk Mohd Samsudin Lias, 70, from Umno who has retired from active politics.

He beat Dr Mohd Zamri and Mohd Tarmizi Lazim from Bersatu in 2018.