BAGAN DATUK – Five-term MP Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi’s run for his hometown parliamentary constituency could come to an end, given various factors brewing since the last term.
The seat has always been depicted as “Umno’s fortress” and had supposedly benefited greatly from Zahid’s tenure in government.
However, at present, there are external and internal forces working against Zahid, who had only won the seat with a 5,072-vote majority in the last election.
Majority vote gap closing
In 2018, part of Zahid’s victory was due to the Hutan Melintang army camp, which contributed roughly 2,000 votes.
The army camp was built during Zahid’s tenure as defence minister and had been the subject of controversy given its location, which was alleged to benefit Barisan Nasional’s (BN) vote bank in the past.
Despite Zahid reportedly denying the allegations – justifying the construction’s location as strategic between the army facility in Sg Buloh, Selangor and the navy base in Lumut, Perak – the camp was subsequently closed after Pakatan Harapan (PH) took over the federal administration.
It is learnt that the Hutan Melintang army camp was part of the Defence Ministry’s controversial land swap deals.
Previously, a report was lodged by the Defence Ministry, during the PH administration, to the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission against 16 land swap deals done under the BN government, claiming political interference in the military camps’ construction.
The Bagan Datuk seat previously recorded a total of 58,183 registered voters but now has over 15,000 new voters due to Undi18 and automatic voter registration.
The sentiments of youth and new voters, in general, will be tested, bearing concerns for all political parties.
These voter segments are also the ones that BN is having difficulties breaking into, especially as Zahid is now 69 years old and may not be viewed as an appealing choice.
While Zahid is thought to possess strong support within the Javanese and the minority Telugu communities in the constituency, the notion could be challenged with the addition of youth voters.
Underdevelopment fears
Zahid often reiterated the fact that he had brought much development into the newly-formed Bagan Datuk district during his tenure, with another RM4.8 billion worth of investment due before it was cut down to RM900 million by the PH administration.
Some Umno members had come to Zahid’s defence, naming some 22 major development projects that could bring thousands of jobs to the state’s southern part before PH dashed its development.
Despite Zahid’s claims, local residents continue to complain about basic issues such as clogged drains, unlit roads, and garbage collection, which could take up to two weeks per interval.
“There have been talks about setting up tuna processing factories, car manufacturing hubs and many other projects but honestly they have not translated to the locals here.
“Our kids still have to find jobs in Ipoh or Kuala Lumpur.
Also laugh all you want. but it is an everyday pain to us having to deal with the poorly maintained and unlit roads here not to mention something as simple as garbage collection taking weeks to happen.
“No doubt Zahid is a generous man and many have benefited from his service here but nothing much has changed.
“We are still talking about the same basic problems, so what can we, the simple people do at the end of this situation?’’ asked a resident from the small village of Selekoh who spoke on the condition of anonymity.
A war of words has also broken out between Zahid and PKR’s hopeful for the seat, Datuk Seri Shamsul Iskandar Md Akin, over the supposed development of the constituency.
To trump his opponent, Shamsul had even suggested setting up a specific municipal council for Bagan Datuk should he win, to establish proper town planning and management.
At present, Bagan Datuk’s local government scope still falls under the Teluk Intan municipal council.
Civil war among Umno ranks
Zahid’s move to axe several Umno warlords from contesting the election has also led to many ordinary members on the ground feeling “uncomfortable” and questioning whether the Umno president had made a strategically sound decision.
These warlords were seen to be aligned with caretaker prime minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob, with some even opting to contest as independents or under a different coalition.
A party insider said this could eventually lead to a civil war within the party, which may increase concentrated efforts to smear Zahid’s character.
At the start of the campaign, certain parties had already alleged that Zahid had links to the littoral combat ship scandal.
This is after blogger Raja Petra Kamaruddin had alleged, via an article posted on his website Malaysia Today, that Zahid had benefited financially from the project.
Zahid’s alleged involvement in the scandal was also the subject of coffee shop discussion among Bagan Datuk locals, indicating that rural folk are becoming more concerned about national issues or at the very least, the character of their candidates.
A local resident in Kg Bagan Pasir who wished to remain anonymous said the article was primarily passed around through chat groups.
“We had read about the scandal mostly through Facebook links and Whatsapp. I got it in my family group and everyone wanted to know more details,’’ the resident told The Vibes when met on the ground during a recent PH ceramah in Kg Bagan Pasir.
Umno “war” funds near depletion
To make matters worse, Umno insiders also indicated that the party had been “penny-pinching”, alluding to its war chest quickly depleting.
This is evident nationwide where BN’s campaign materials have been overshadowed by Perikatan Nasional and PH.
This appears to be a similar situation in Bagan Datuk.
Another party insider said the allocation for each division has been cut by two-thirds with many ground operations impacted by the lack of funds or the supposed late disbursement of funds.
The same party insider also said that they were “perplexed” that the party had even pushed for an election with such a “restricted” financial capability. – The Vibes, November 10, 2022
