GE15: ‘Zafrul may have funds, but Dzulkefly has our hearts’

KUALA SELANGOR – Dark clouds began emerging over Jeram, while the smell of incoming rain was almost tangible.

Mohd Noor Atan and a couple of other villagers were painstakingly clearing the main swale along Taman Desa Ehsan that was clogged by litter and overgrown plants.

Just a day before, several houses in the small village, which is home to some two dozen families, were inundated in water following continuous rainfall, forcing some of the residents to move to temporary flood relief centres.

Noor Atan knew another downpour would deluge the remaining units in the flood-prone area.

“The rakyat have told those in power not to hold elections now, but they didn’t listen. How do you expect us to go out and vote when our houses and the roads are flooded?

“We can’t even sleep at night these days, afraid that rainwater will creep into our houses,” the exasperated 58-year-old retiree said when met.

The Vibes was taking a tour of Jeram, located in the Kuala Selangor constituency, about an hour’s drive from the city centre, to gather comments and thoughts from voters ahead of the election.

The parliamentary seat will see the incumbent Datuk Seri Dr Dzulkefly Ahmad of Pakatan Harapan (PH) take on caretaker finance minister Datuk Seri Tengku Zafrul Tengku Abdul Aziz of Barisan Nasional (BN) and two others in a four-cornered fight.

Interestingly, the responses from residents of Taman Desa Ehsan appear to share a common theme: while Tengku Zafrul may have the financial prowess and backing, he does not have the heart of the people-first Dr Dzulkefly.

“Dr Dzulkefly is a commoner like us. He didn’t just become a minister out of nowhere. He rose through the ranks,” Noor said.

People like him who started from the bottom would understand the plight of the poor better.

“This is what we want, not someone who is appointed a minister out of thin air and then seeks votes during elections.”

Tengku Zafrul had spent a large part of his career in the banking industry before being made a senator in March 2020 to pave the way for then prime minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin to appoint him as finance minister.

Although there was a change in administration in August 2021, Tengku Zafrul was maintained in Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob’s cabinet.

For 30-year-old shop assistant Nurul Azilah Johar, Tengku Zafrul’s corporate background means he does not really understand the plight of poor Malaysians.

“Dr Dzulkefly, on the other hand, is friendly to the rakyat and cares about us. He often goes down to the ground to meet residents, not just during an election.”

This was echoed by fisherman Fadzril Mohd Noh, 40, who described the incumbent MP as a “good lawmaker” who would also often visit families during weddings and funerals.

‘Track record will prove I have served well’

Later, when met during his campaign trail, Dr Dzulkefly similarly said he believes his service resonates with Kuala Selangor constituents as he puts the people above anything else.

He said while he regards both himself and Tengku Zafrul as technocrats, the latter cannot boast a track record of providing service to the rakyat. 

“That’s the defining factor: I have served the rakyat and Kuala Selangor. So if voters are asking how they should decide who to vote, just base it on the track record.”

Dr Dzulkefly added that being the incumbent gives him a better understanding of the ins and outs of operating as a lawmaker in Kuala Selangor.

A challenger, a novice can come and promise the moon and the stars, but only a person like me can understand the best way of executing (my work),” he said.

Asked if he is overwhelmed by the fact that he is up against the caretaker finance minister and renowned corporate figure, the Amanah man said he is unperturbed by this, and compared this election with the one in 2013, when he lost to Umno’s Datuk Seri Irmohizam Ibrahim.

“I saw it in 2013. An Umno leader came with an onslaught of cash. He won, but thereafter, he dissipated. 

“People did not see him until towards the end of the term. This is something they have to learn. Now, it’s Zafrul coming over here doing the same thing, at an even bigger magnitude. But we’ve seen that before,” he said.

Dr Dzulkefly first won the Kuala Selangor seat in 2008 before losing it to Irmohizam in the next election. He later defeated the Umno man in the 2018 polls with a majority of 8,498 votes. – The Vibes, November 15, 2022