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IPOH – In Tambun, all coalitions are doubling down on their efforts to woo the Malay vote, which many considered as the silent majority and the eventual decider for the parliamentary seat.
While earlier news reports indicated that Pakatan Harapan (PH) and Perikatan Nasional (PN) are focused on garnering support from the Indian community, campaigns on the ground are mostly to attract Barisan Nasional (BN) voters and fence-sitters.
Campaigns in places such as rural villages in Chemor, Changkat Kinding, and Tg Rambutan have ramped up, with PN and PH engaging grassroots leaders to make headway into BN strongholds.
Those three areas are part of Hulu Kinta state constituency, which has a voter breakdown of 59% Malay, 23% Chinese, 11% Indian, and 4% others.
In this area, PN is counting on PAS, which has a strong committee centred around a number of local surau and mosques in the district.
“Bersatu is playing catch-up in these areas but as a coalition, we are playing to our strength and everyone is doing their part.
“But it is better for us to redouble our efforts in tackling the Malay voters, the silent majority – urging them to come out and vote instead. We have a better chance of convincing Malay fence-sitters and even BN voters rather than the non-Malay community.
“Of course, there are efforts towards the Chinese and Indian community especially, but it is harder to woo them, and we all know where most of their votes are going,” said a senior Bersatu leader who does not wish to be named.
Could Anwar’s pro-Islam, pro-Malay history convince Malay voters?
In Tambun, PH chairman and prime minister hopeful Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim will go up against incumbent Datuk Seri Ahmad Faizal Azumu, who is also Perak PN chief and former menteri besar.
Contenders from other coalitions, such as BN’s Datuk Aminuddin Md Hanafiah and Gerakan Tanah Air’s Abdul Rahim Tahir are also in the running but have been drowned out by PH and PN heavyweights.
PH has long since enjoyed a near monopoly of non-Malay voters, something that Anwar has leveraged as his support base to win the seat.
In his usual rhetoric, Anwar often highlights PH’s multicultural agenda, including equal opportunities for all. At the same time, he talks about the protection of Malays’ special rights, Islam’s standing in the country, and the special status of royals.
But Anwar’s campaign took an interesting turn as PKR grassroots leaders are regurgitating their president’s history with Angkatan Belia Islam Malaysia (Abim) and his pro-Malay and Islamist policies in the past.
The point is, Anwar is no stranger to wearing the “tanjak” (traditional Malay headgear) or bearing the “keris” (traditional Malay dagger), according to a PKR grassroots leader based in Hulu Kinta.
“The Malays really wanted to know one thing: can you take care of them?
“The preaching of tolerance and understanding among all races has its place, but the community needs to know that Anwar is not a stooge.
“Some may have forgotten about his long history in Abim and his stint as education minister. He had done his part to protect the interest of the Malays.
“He is just as Malay as you and I,” said the PKR leader, who wants to remain unnamed.
He added that these topics are being discussed in local surau and mosques.
During an event last Sunday in Chemor, Anwar gave a ceramah to some 100 attendees, almost all of whom are Malays.
Standing on stage wearing a tanjak and a selempang (sash), Anwar regaled the crowd with the tales of Si Kitol and Raja Mendeliar, a cautionary tale on the danger of “khianat” (treachery) and how it led to the collapse of the Melaka Sultanate.
“The act of ‘khianat’ and ‘derhaka’ (treason) is deemed the most heinous crime in Malay history and culture.
“I could understand if you engage in the act to save your dignity, but this is to protect your riches, your position as a minister, and to gain contracts.
“What can we learn from Si Kitol? He had committed treason against the sultan, against Malay tradition and culture by being a turncoat for the Portuguese.
“What happened to him then? He was impaled and his house was burned to ash. Not enough to make a point, they took the remains of his house and the land it sat on and threw them into the sea.
“Such extremes were done to teach the Malays not to engage in such heinous acts,” he said.
The tale of Si Kitol and Raja Mendeliar from the Malay Annals is often used by Malay politicians, especially Umno, as a rallying call for unity and abiding to party discipline.
In subsequent ceramah programmes, Anwar reiterated that he is not DAP’s stooge or any other party’s, as PH practises a consensus in its decision-making.
He often rebuked this slander regurgitated by his political enemies and cautioned the Malay community against those who use religion as a means to enrich themselves or to gain power, alluding to his ongoing tiff with the Islamist party PAS.
BN’s failure to launch?
While BN’s Aminuddin is fully aware that he is outclassed in the race for Tambun, his election machinery also appears to suffer from operational issues.
Several ground campaign workers and local leaders had complained about the coalition’s “failure to launch” in the constituency, such as the late fund disbursement and lack of campaign materials.
This is evident in the lack of BN flags, and posters in Tambun compared to PH and PN.
A few BN campaign workers in Chemor had complained that they were still waiting on more materials, as they were low in stock.
“There were always logistical issues in the past, but we never had issues of not having enough posters, flags and even poles to hang them. We are still waiting for more.”
Similarly, another BN campaign worker in Meru Heights questioned why there were insufficient materials or programmes in their voting district.
“There weren’t enough flags to go around, so we were told to place them strategically at intersections and roads with high traffic.
“At the same time, activities in a few of the nearby districts seem slow. Maybe it is just the start of the campaign period. I’m sure it will pick up very soon.”
Under Tambun, there are two state seats – the Malay-majority constituencies of Manjoi and Hulu Kinta.
Manjoi has the highest number of eligible voters in a Perak state constituency – 86,000 with 7.39% of them consisting of voters between the ages of 18 and 20.
Based on statistics from the 2018 general election, Tambun consists of 67% Malays, followed by 20% Chinese, 11% Indian and 2% characterised as others.
In the last election, Faizal defeated Datuk Seri Ahmad Husni Hanadzlah of Umno and Muhamad Zulkifli Mohamad Zakaria of PAS with a 5,320-vote majority. – The Vibes, November 11, 2022
