He said the four problems have remained unresolved since Rina Harun, now with Bersatu, became MP in 2018. She has been relocated by her party to contest in Sepang and Johari said she had left “without resolving the issues in a systematic and professional manner”.
“Titiwangsa needs leaders who can take up local issues with the relevant authorities and resolve the problems for all parties at once,” he said in an interview with FMT.
The four key problems revolve around the delayed redevelopment of:
- PKNS flats in Kampung Sungai Baru;
- PKNS flats on Jalan Pekeliling;
- Market in Jalan Raja Bot, Chow Kit; and
- Market in Kampung Datuk Keramat.
Top of the list is the need for an amicable solution to the delayed redevelopment of Kampung Sungai Baru, part of the historic Malay settlement of Kampung Baru in the heart of Kuala Lumpur. Kampung Baru also lies at the heart of the Titiwangsa constituency.
89% of whom voted to make way for a redevelopment project are hoping to return to comfortable new homes. However, due to various issues, construction work has yet to begin on the new flats, almost five years later, Johari said.
“These are issues that require a leader to step in and resolve. And we must come to a point where, when we want to resolve a problem, it must be a win-win solution for the government, people and developers. The people would also win; instead of living in a flat with one toilet and one bedroom, they would get to live in an 850 to 950 sq ft unit with three bedrooms and two toilets,” he said.
“I have to address this matter because it occurred in the four years and eight months that I wasn’t their MP,” he said.
Delayed redevelopment projects
Another long-delayed project is the redevelopment of the PKNS flats on Jalan Pekeliling, which Johari said has been 14 years in the waiting.
Johari, who is Federal Territories Umno chief, said he also wants to rebuild the Jalan Raja Bot market in Chow Kit, which has been left abandoned for 10 years.“We must ensure that contractors appointed for this are qualified and capable of completing the works at the set time.”
The rebuilding of the Kampung Datuk Keramat market is another crucial project on Johari’s list, having been at a standstill due to a dispute between the developer and the landowner, Kuala Lumpur City Hall.
Johari said this delay over the dispute has caused a major problem for traders, who were hoping that the new market would be a gateway to greater sales and profits for them.
Recounting his first five years as Titiwangsa MP from 2013 to 2018, he said he had managed to bring about construction of the popular Saloma Link bridge which allows Kampung Baru residents to walk to KLCC with ease.
Mentor to young people in Titiwangsa
Johari, a chartered accountant by training, spent 25 years in the corporate world. He was finance minister II from 2016 to 2018 and was a member of the national economic council and also served on many government bodies. He said he wanted to serve as a mentor for the young generation of Titiwangsa folk, especially budding entrepreneurs.
“I’m not here to give them money,” he said. “But if there are fresh graduates who are jobless who are trying to start something up and need advice, I am ready to be with and help them. I guarantee that I am ready to get involved with everyone because I come from Titiwangsa. I don’t know about the other candidates, but I’m a local boy.”
Johari is in a four-way fight for the Titiwangsa seat in Kuala Lumpur. His rivals are former federal territories minister Khalid Samad of Pakatan Harapan, Rosni Adam of Perikatan Nasional and Khairuddin Abu Hassan of Pejuang.
Titiwangsa stretches from Setapak to Kampung Baru, Kampung Datuk Keramat, Taman Maluri and Kampung Pandan. The constituency lies between Setiawangsa, Bukit Bintang and borders the Pandan constituency in Selangor.
The constituency has an electorate of 80,747 people comprising Malays (70%), Chinese (17%), Indians (9%) and others (2.8%).