Voters in the Bukit Gasing N34 constituency love Rajiv Rishyakaran because he has introduced popular programmes to help every stratum of Petaling Jaya. He has helped the B40 constituents extensively as he stands again in the same constituency in the State elections.
Rajiv, 41, professionally an electrical engineer, is making waves and spending his state financial allocation to benefit all voters. He is a modern-day marketing icon in community services.
His love all, serve all philosophy is slowly changing the landscape and the thinking of Petaling Jaya’s elitist and B40 constituents.
“As your assemblyman, I am committed to serving the people of Bukit Gasing. Over the last 10 years, my office has dealt with over 6,000 public complaints and suggestions. I am always working to improve the lives of my constituents. I am accessible to my constituents through the mobile of about ten assistants and volunteers.”
Every Wednesday from 5.00 pm to 7.30 pm, he has a ‘Tea and Cakes with Rajiv’ session at his office in PJ's new town so that residents can see him without an appointment and discuss their concerns, problems and issues. Recently, I attended a session as an observer, and I noticed he goes all out to listen to every situation personally or assigns it to his assistants to follow up on the complaints.
In addition to these services, he also organizes periodic legal aid clinics to assist Bukit Gasing residents who need legal help. These clinics are free of charge and are open to all residents, regardless of their income. He is convinced that everyone deserves access to justice.
“It is also important to celebrate our community's diversity and come together to celebrate our festivals. Every year (except during the lockdown period), we organised events to celebrate Chinese New Year, Deepavali, Hari Raya, Mid-Autumn Festival and Christmas.”
In addition to the financial assistance through state agencies, his office supplements this by extending food aid monthly to families in need. “We visit each case referred to us to ensure the targeted groups get this assistance. Everyone deserves a chance at a decent life, and no family should go hungry in our community.”
To help the older community, Rajiv has organized smartphone classes for them. “I noticed senior citizens were feeling left out during the pandemic. Beyond the Mysejahtera scanning, they missed social calls and online interactions with their families. Now, our residents have a weekly class to seek help with technology and smartphones. We also subsidise smartphones for Bukit Gasing residents who cannot afford them by assisting with RM 100 for a new smartphone.” The weekly smartphone classes are held every Wednesday from 10 am to 12 pm at the Section 17 community hall.
Since 2013, Rajiv has also launched multiple initiatives encouraging recycling to reduce waste. The aim is to make recycling as easy as possible for the residents of Bukit Gasing. In Bukit Gasing, recyclables can be placed in a transparent plastic bag next to non-recyclables for the usual collection 3 times a week. But for those who want to be paid for their recycling, you can also get paid to recycle through the Cash for Trash scheme on the 2nd and 4th Saturdays of the month.
“We have also launched two, plant 1000 trees campaigns. The first was to give residents trees to plant inside their house compounds, which saw a tremendous take-up rate. The second campaign was to plant trees at our parks and roadsides, and we have covered nearly all spots available for tree planting. My office champions public transportation, and we work with various partners to make it easier for people from Subang, Shah Alam and Kelana Jaya to leave their cars at home.”
Freelance Writer M. Krishnamoorthy (www.imkrishna.net) is a media coach, associate professor and undercover journalist. He has freelanced with Bernama, NST, The Star, and Malaysiakini. He also freelances as a fixer/coordinator for CNN, BBC, German and Australian Television networks and the New York Times. As an undercover journalist, he has highlighted society's concerns going undercover as a beggar, security guard, blind man, disabled salesman and Member of Parliament.
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