SG BULOH – While this constituency offers one of the most anticipated fights in the 15th general election (GE15), voters in Paya Jaras say it doesn’t matter who becomes the MP as long as he can reduce the price of goods.
Divided into four villages, Paya Jaras contains nearly 70,000 residents and falls under the Sg Buloh federal constituency that will see a seven-cornered fight in the November 19 polls.
The main contenders are likely to be Barisan Nasional’s (BN) Khairy Jamaluddin, the caretaker health minister, and Pakatan Harapan’s (PH) Datuk R. Ramanan.
Though the seat has been under PKR for the last three terms, Rohani, a restaurant owner here, said what matters more is the worrying state of the economy, which has forced locals to work extra jobs to sustain a living.
The 50-year-old said many locals have opted to start home businesses, selling things out of their front porches.
“If you look around, you can see a lot of (home) businesses open. There is a restaurant or convenience store every few houses,” she told The Vibes.
She lamented that inflation has affected her food business, and she is forced to travel greater distances to purchase more reasonably-priced raw materials.
Inflation has affected us all, and everyone wants to make a profit in their own way.
“Most times, I have to go to multiple places to get materials for my restaurant, to the extent of visiting the next town, as prices have become quite ridiculous.
“I just wish that whoever becomes the next MP can address and solve this issue,” Rohani said.
A convenience store owner, meanwhile, said that voters here aren’t looking at Khairy’s qualities, which have led some to regard him as among the better performers in BN, or at the fact that Sg Buloh is a PH stronghold won by majorities of over 26,000 votes in the last two elections.
The man, who asked not to be named, said people here do not mind who the MP is as long as they focus on improving the economy.
The prices of goods have gone up so much, I’m not getting much profit from my sales.
“People are also affected, they have to fork out more to buy items,” he added.
Other than inflation, life in Paya Jaras has been comfortable for the most part, he said, as the area is not susceptible to floods while lighting and road maintenance have been well-kept.
Ariffin, who works in broadcasting, said the Sg Buloh seat is “fair game” for all parties as the constituency is diverse.
The 55-year-old said there are more Malay voters in Paya Jaras, but the Sg Buloh seat as a whole has supported PH in the last few terms.
BN can see itself securing votes here (in Paya Jeras) due to the concentration of Malays.
“Khairy seems like a good individual. He has a rapport with the youth and he does not seem so arrogant when he moves around the grassroots.
“So it will be a good fight for both of them. Anything could happen,” Ariffin said, referring to Khairy and his main rival Ramanan.
He added that the main issue for him and other voters here is the economy and prices of goods.
Aside from Khairy and Ramanan, the five other candidates for Sg Buloh are from Perikatan Nasional, Pejuang, Parti Rakyat Malaysia and two independents.
PKR retained Sg Buloh in 2018 by a margin of 26,634 votes via three-term MP R. Sivarasa, whom Ramanan replaced as a candidate for GE15. – The Vibes, November 10, 2022
