Malaysia state polls: Parties going all out to win over urban poor in country’s richest state Selangor

Taman Medan resident Azlan Zulkifli said salaries are not keeping pace with the high cost of living.

“Previously, RM150 (US$33) could buy you a shopping basket’s worth of items. Now, you can’t even fill half a basket (when spending the same amount),” he noted. 

Taman Medan, which has a high concentration of urban poor, is among 39 Malay majority seats in Selangor which the opposition Perikatan Nasional (PN) is targeting in the 56-seat state assembly.  

Residents expect the problems to get worse with rapid urbanisation. The only government clinic in Taman Medan, for example, is reportedly bursting at the seams. 

“It’s overpopulated now,” said Mr Azlan. “Last time, there were squatters, but now they’ve built flats, so more and more people are living here.

“The population needs to be reduced or we need to add more facilities. One clinic is not enough to cater for 200,000 residents.”