While his opponent will centre his campaign on what Barisan Nasional has done and will do for the various races, Pandan parliamentary candidate Syed Shahir Syed Mohamud says he will instead ask what the government has done or ought to have done for workers of all races.

syed shahir 250208 talking Unlike the academic and minister he is pitted against, Shahir ( left ) says he represents the worker - literally. The 56-year-old, who will be contesting under a PKR ticket, is the president of the MTUC and secretary-general of the National Union of Transport Equipment Allied Industry Workers.

Shahir’s participation in general elections is nothing new. The former teacher from Pahang took part in his first election in 1974 when he was just 21. But what makes him different from other candidates is his indifference to racial groupings.

As BN candidates go about reassuring Indians and Chinese that their rights will be protected under the New Economic Policy, Shahir’s message reaches out to all workers irrespective of race.

Hence, he said the racial make-up of the Pandan electorate will not play a part in his campaign. "What I’m trying to bring to Parliament has nothing to do with race. As long as the person works, he will be affected by the ideas that I’m trying to introduce.

Minimum wage

"Take the minimum wage bill for instance. It doesn’t matter if the person is Malay, Indian or Chinese. A minimum salary of RM900 will lift people out of poverty.

"Mind you, that this isn’t much anymore if you live in urban areas like Klang Valley, Johor Bahru or Penang. But a minimum wage bill is something to start with," said the eloquent speaker.

pandan parliamentary seat 270208 Shahir said he will also press for some form of labour representation in Parliament. "For now, there is no-one to speak up for workers in Parliament. Sure, there is a Human Resources Ministry. But if the minister doesn’t do his job, the workers have nobody to help them.

"Take, for example, a worker who is terminated unfairly. There is a limit to the total number of months he can claim in back wages if he wins his case. Previously, it was unlimited and it was left to the Industrial Court to decide this.

"But now, that is a 24-month cap to the amount of back wages the sacked employee gets. It takes a long time for an unfair dismissal case to be settled in court and this cap is not fair."

If there was someone to represent workers in Parliament this would not have taken place, he reasoned.

Social security scheme

ong tee kiat And what does he think of his chances against Higher Education Deputy Minister Ong Tee Keat ( right ), who won for BN-MCA in 2004 with a majority of 14,112 votes?

"That was a different scenario then. Pak Lah (Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi) had just come into power and the whole country was caught up in the excitement of a new prime minister.

"After four years, the public is not so sure anymore and my chances aren’t bleak. More importantly, I speak for the workers and I’m sure that would appeal to the people of Pandan."

Apart of minimum wages, Shahrir said he will also push for limiting the number of foreign workers in Malaysia, extending the retirement age and formulating a social security scheme.

If the MTUC president does win the Pandan seat, he will join an illustrious group of labour activists such as V David, Dr Tan Chee Khoon, V Veerapan and Tan Pock Kin all of whom were elected as members of Parliament in the past.