Tussle for Kepala Batas is within Umno

People in rural areas are loyal and will vote for the one they feel indebted to, like Abdullah.

The next general election is expected to be the closest fight to form the new Malaysian government. And several seats across the nation are likely to be heated battles with the slimmest of majorities. The Malaysian Insider takes a look at some of these hot seats in what will be an intense election for control of Malaysia

BUTTERWORTH, Oct 10 — The sleepy town of Kepala Batas, far removed from the hustle and bustle of Penang state capital George Town or Butterworth, is a growing township in northern Seberang Perai with Dewan Millenium as its one main landmark.

Despite the increase in new housing developments and the sprucing up of infrastructure in the small town, the people there remain a close-knit community that looks after their own. And one of their most famous “sons” is of course former prime minister Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi.

Abdullah, more affectionately known as Pak Lah, has been the MP here since 1978. 

The soft-spoken former prime minister is still very much respected and looked up to by the people of Kepala Batas, according to a local Barisan Nasional (BN) member.

“In fact, even if he is not a candidate in the next general election, all he needs to do is to make appearances in support of whoever is running and BN will still retain the seat as in previous years,” he said.

Yes, there has been talk that Abdullah will not stand for the seat in the next general election and a few names have been mentioned as likely candidates to replace him, particularly that of Kepala Batas Umno Youth chief Datuk Seri Reezal Merican Naina Merican.

In fact, the confidence which has led to the seat being considered “a direct route to Parliament” has resulted in an internal tussle within Umno ranks as to who should replace Abdullah. ”This is a sure-win seat so of course a few top Umno leaders are now vying for it,” said a source.

The Malaysian Insider had previously reported that Reezal is Pak Lah’s choice after the former prime minister decided not to continue contesting the seat despite an offer from Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak.

He said these Umno leaders are not even concerned about the possibility that PAS may just wrestle the seat from them come election time.

“Kepala Batas, despite its many developments, is still very much a rural area and in rural areas, the people think differently so it is not entirely wrong of Umno to think that this is a sure-win seat,” he said.

He added that people in rural areas, especially the Malay community, are a loyal bunch and once they feel that they have been well looked after, they will vote for the one they feel indebted to. For the past 34 years, that person has been Abdullah.

Reezal seems to be the most likely candidate to replace Abdullah.

While Reezal seems to be the most likely candidate to replace Abdullah, former Bertam assemblyman Datuk Hilmi Abdul Rashid is also lobbying for the seat. There is also talk that Datuk Zainal Abidin Osman, all the way from Nibong Tebal, may be parachuted in due to his close relationship with Abdullah. Among other names mentioned was former Penang deputy chief minister Datuk Ibrahim Saad

“Of course now that Abdullah is no longer in charge, Zainal won’t have as much chance as Reezal or even Hilmi especially when the decision is up to Umno chief  and prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak,” a party insider said.

Obviously Abdullah is disturbed by all this in-fighting. In a recent speech he made, he urged Umno members to place party interest above self-interest to ensure BN’s victory in the upcoming elections.

He reportedly said that he doesn’t want to see in-fighting among members because it could weaken the party, cause chaos and portray Umno as an arrogant party.

If Umno leaders do set aside self-interest, Reezal would be the best bet because he is young and appears more than capable to serve the constituents.

“The constituents want to see change as promised by the BN so it will be wise for BN to put in some new faces to show that they are changing leadership and giving way to the young to lead,” another source said.

Reezal will likely be going up against Penang PAS Youth secretary Ustaz Afnan Hamimi Taib Azamudin who is tipped to contest the Kepala Batas parliamentary constituency.

In the last general election in 2008, Abdullah was challenged by PAS’ Subri Mohd Arshad and won with a 11,246 majority.

Almost 75 per cent of the voters here are Malays so one of the important factors to capture the seat is to win over the Malays.

A local political observer noted that the rural Malays are easily pleased and now with all the handouts in the new Budget, they are sure to be even more pro-BN.

“They are simple folks so with all the handouts given to them such as BR1M and the smartphone subsidy, they will be very happy and will vote accordingly,” he said.

However, he pointed out that those in the Bertam area, a predominantly Chinese area, votes for BN will be harder to come by. The Chinese make up about 21 per cent of the voters in the constituency.

But Bertam only makes up a small portion of the 21 per cent as another predominantly Chinese area, Kampung Selamat, is very much a BN stronghold. This is because there are over 80 pig farms in that area and many pig farmers are still worried about PAS and its Islamic policies.

Afnan indeed has his work cut out for him to convince the non-Malay voters that PAS, as a component of the Pakatan Rakyat (PR) coalition, could serve them as well as BN.

Unknown to BN members, Afnan has already made his presence felt by making the rounds in the constituency, in predominantly Malay areas; organising regular community events that range from giving talks to handing out aid to the needy.

This young businessman, who is in his 40s, is affable, friendly, down-to-earth and quite well-liked by some of the residents in the area despite the fact that he’s not from Kepala Batas but from Bukit Mertajam.

“We have been getting quite good reception from the voters so far so we are optimistic that this time, we may just be able to take this seat away from BN,” said a PAS member. Whether this growing popularity for his on-the-ground approach can translate into votes remains to be seen though.