JOHOR BARU – While both former Pulai MP Datuk Nur Jazlan Mohamed as well as his successor, who is incumbent MP, Datuk Seri Salahuddin Ayub, are familiar to the people of the southern Johor federal seat, neither of them can claim to be the favourite of voters there.
“They only helped those they know” was the chief complaint made by some Pulai voters – who said they did not have any political affiliations – when The Vibes asked them to compare the two candidates for the seat in the 15th general election (GE15).
Nur Jazlan represents Barisan Nasional (BN)-Umno, while Salahuddin is from Pakatan Harapan (PH)-Amanah.
“I’ve joined programmes held by both sides, but all I can say is that they are not that different from one another,” said a resident of Taman Camar, Perling, who wanted to be known as Ismail.
“Both frequently distribute aid and cash to flood victims, for example, but those who get the assistance are usually those close to them.”
The 40-year-old Pulai local felt that Salahuddin, who is Amanah deputy president, and his aides gave “special treatment” to those who were PH supporters, just as Nur Jazlan and his aides did for BN supporters when he was Pulai MP.
Nur Jazlan, the son of former information minister in the 1980s and 1990s, the late Tan Sri Mohamed Rahmat, won the Pulai seat in 2004 and held it for three terms. He lost it in 2018 to Salahuddin, who achieved a landslide victory with a 28,924-vote margin.
GE15 marks the third time the two rivals will square off.
Another voter in Perling, Mohd Ghazali Sulaiman, also said that whether it was Salahuddin or Nur Jazlan, he felt that those who were affiliated with their respective parties were treated “better” than other residents.
The “different treatment” was seen even in petty issues such as how to manage roadside traders, Ghazali said.
Neither one of them, when they were MP, had managed to successfully deal with issues like the rising cost of living and affordable housing shortage, he added.
“It’s hard to pick who to vote, looking at how they openly allowed ‘special treatment’ which only further divided the community,” Ghazali said.
He clarified that while Salahuddin or Nur Jazlan did not totally fail to help voters, the treatment was selective.
There were also other issues that they could have addressed “if they were as committed to the people as they claim to be”, said Ghazali.
He added that he has yet to decide on who to vote for on polling day, which falls on November 19.
Meanwhile, Zulhilmi Abidin, a 35-year-old property broker from Kg Pasir, Johor Baru, said he is ready to give PH another term in Pulai.
“At the very least, Salahuddin and PH are easier to approach when you come for assistance and would usually be the first response team to arrive in our village whenever we were hit with floods,” said Zulhilmi.
“It’s true that Nur Jazlan has a bigger reputation in Pulai and a richer history, given that his late father was an important figure for Umno here.
“That, however, is secondary, as people will not vote just based on sentimental value, but will also check your track record.”
Mohamed, Nur Jazlan’s late father, had been synonymous with Pulai, having held the seat for seven terms from 1974. Mohamed had been information minister during Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad’s first stint as prime minister. – The Vibes, November 8, 2022
