THE last time Kuala Kubu Baharu made national headlines was when a tiger was spotted near the town in September last year.
Many rushed to the town in the hope of catching a glimpse of the tiger which was said to have strayed from the Titiwangsa range in search of food.
But tiger talk ended after a week or so, and now the town finds itself in the crosshairs of the country’s politicians following the death of its hardworking three-term assemblyman Lee Kee Hiong, who died on March 21 after a battle with cancer.
Polling day is set for May 11. Nomination day is on April 27 and early voting, on May 7.
The polls is the seventh by-election to be held after the 2022 general election.
Over the last decade, the waterfalls in the area has been a magnet for picnickers while cyclists are attracted to the terrain and scenery.
All the political action has folk excited, with most speaking fondly of Lee. They hope her successor will keep up the good work.
The Vibes spoke to a few of the residents.
Han Siew Peck, 57, who sells baking supplies, said she enjoys living in KKB as the area is not busy and there are no traffic jams like in the bigger towns.
"What we want is that the parks and recreation areas here to be upgraded for the children to play and for others.
"We also want to see changes where visitors come to picnic at the Chilling waterfall and Alor Lempah river."
She hopes the new assemblyman fulfils his promises.
"The person has to fulfill what they will say in their manifesto. We don't know what they are going to promise, but whatever it is, they have to do it for all the people."
Resident Chong Weng Yuen, 61, who owns a Chinese herbal shop, hopes the new assemblyman will continue to beautify the area.
"She (Lee) beautified the place. She did a lot of work in her 10 years of service here.
"We have seen her on the ground. We also want our new assemblyman to work hard like Lee."
Alia Yazid, 31, who works as a cashier, said that Kuala Kubu Baharu is peaceful as she prefers to stay out of big cities.
"Here it is peaceful. I don't really like living in the city. For me there are no issues in KKB.
"The former assemblyman has done good work. I also hope the new assemblyman will do a good job."
Alia said that they are looking forward to new changes in the area for the community.
Alesa Md Azad, 22, who works at a fast food restaurant, said Kuala Kubu Baharu is more vibrant now.
"The buildings in Kuala Kubu Baharu have murals and that is beautiful. There are also two rivers here for people to enjoy nature.
"For us, there are no issues here. But what we would like to see is a central collection point for garbage collection."
Resident M. Praba, 74, who is a retiree, is contented in the town.
"Sometimes there are traffic jams and water issues such as pipe repairs, but that is normal."
There are 40,226 registered voters in the constituency, of which 39,363 are regular voters, 238 members of the armed forces and their spouses, and 625 police members and their spouses.
The EC will assign 750 officers to manage the by-election at 18 polling centres, two of which will be open for early voting.
The Hulu Selangor sports complex will serve as the nomination and ballot tallying centre.
The electoral roll for the Kuala Kubu Bahru by-election comprises a total of 40,226 registered voters consisting of 39,362 regular voters, 625 police personnel, 238 military personnel and spouses, and one absentee voter residing abroad.
The ethnic breakdown for the constituency is 50% Malay, over 30% Chinese voters, and 18% Indian voters. – April 8, 2024.
