KEPALA BATAS – For the first time ever, the Kepala Batas parliamentary constituency fell under PAS’s control when its candidate in the last general election, Siti Mastura Mohamad representing Perikatan Nasional (PN), defeated incumbent Datuk Seri Reezal Merican Naina Merican from Barisan Nasional (BN).
Reezal, a former federal minister, is now the candidate for the Bertam state constituency, which comes within Kepala Batas, for the Pakatan Harapan-Barisan Nasional alliance.
He says that he is contesting in the state polls because he does not want to see his beloved Kepala Batas regress if it comes under total control of the opposition with even the state seats in their hands.
“Ever since my opponent won, what has the opposition achieved for the constituency?
“They cannot do much as they are not allies of the state government,” said Reezal.
After much thought, he decided to contest a state seat to ensure that the constituency has representatives from the same state and federal governments.
An Umno Supreme Council member, Reezal is considered a protege of former prime minister Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, who was the Kepala Batas MP from 1978 until 2013.
Speaking to a Chinese crowd yesterday, Reezal said he has many plans to uplift its living standards and this can happen if he wins the state seats in Kepala Batas.
Reezal is in a straight fight against the incumbent from PN, Khaliq Mehtab Mohd Ishaq.
He said that if he wins, he could at least bring more of the state’s attention to the area, which is predominantly a padi heartland.
By most accounts, Penang is likely to be retained by PH-BN in the coming election unless there is an unexpected pendulum swing among the non-Muslim electorate for the other side.
Therefore, it is better for the state seats in Kepala Batas to be in sync with the PH-BN government, especially at the federal level, said Reezal.
In a related development, Penang DAP secretary Lim Hui Ying said that the party’s 19 candidates for the Penang state elections on Saturday have been ordered to step up their engagement with the voters here to underline a need for a high turnout among voters here.
“Do not take things for granted that PH-BN will win. We want a strong majority to send a message that we are serious about nation-building.”
To achieve this, there must be a higher voter turnout, said Lim.
Lim, who is also deputy education minister, said that voters should not be taken in by the duplicity employed by the opposition. – The Vibes, August 9, 2023
