SEMENYIH appears to be known for all the wrong reasons, or so it seems for many Malaysians who regularly flip through the newspapers and surf the internet.
Stories of water cuts in the Klang Valley due to pollution in Sungai Semenyih and the shutting down of its water treatment plant seem to make the news more than anything else in the constituency.
As such, it is understandable that its assemblyman, Zakaria Hanafi (pix), has made it one of his priorities to change this perception.
“To me Semenyih is already well-known among many Malaysians, but for reasons nobody likes.
“Whenever there is a water cut, Semenyih seems to be the talk of the town.
“We don’t want that anymore,” he told theSun in an interview.
The 59-year-old Umno man, who only became an assemblyman after winning the by-election on March 2 last year, said he wants the town to be an education and recreational hub.
“Over the years, there has been a lot of development here, but it seems like there is inconsistency in terms of the number of schools and parks being built.
“Schools are few and far between.
“Many parents have to send their children to schools so far away from home.
“The same can be said about higher education institutions here.
“We also need more parks for recreational purposes.”
Zakaria, however, acknowledged that this would not come easy as he is part of the opposition in a state where Pakatan Harapan holds 50 of the 56 seats – Umno has five seats while PAS has one.
He cited the lack of funding from the state government as the biggest hurdle to him implementing his vision for the constituency.
Sharing his experience in the 11 months since taking office, Zakaria said he has also been forced to turn away constituents who come to him for financial help.
“I find pleasure in helping others.
“So it is disheartening when I can’t help my voters.
“Many of them have come to my office seeking some money, but there’s nothing I can do.
“Fortunately, they are quite understanding when I explain my situation being an opposition member.”
He said most of the funds allocated to him were spent to help NGOs, residential associations and parent-teacher associations carry out their activities and programmes.
Zakaria has allocated every Friday morning as a “Meet My Constituents Day” where the people are able to hold discussions with him, seek advice and assistance, and provide feedback.
On his victory in the Semenyih by-election by a 1,914 majority last year, Zakaria said he did not even think he would be picked to represent his party, what more win the polls.
“I remember the day I was told that I would be Umno’s pick for the by-election.
“Someone called me and asked me to head over to Umno’s headquarters in PWTC to meet the then acting president Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan two days before nomination.
“I thought he just wanted to meet all the shortlisted candidates.
“It turned out I was the only one there, and it was then Mohamad informed me I was picked,” he said.
Zakaria, who has three children and two grandchildren, lives with his wife and youngest son.
