Top Chinese leader’s Kuantan visit seen to boost BN

The Lynas refinery in Kuantan is set to remain a key campaign issue both locally and nationwide ahead of the general election. — File pic

KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 24 ― Top Chinese leader Jia Qinglin will open a China-backed industrial park in Kuantan next month, in what is seen as Barisan Nasional’s (BN) push for the key community’s vote and a show of investor confidence despite the nearby Lynas rare earth project.

The Malaysian Insider understands that China is also considering special agreements and incentives for Malaysia, apart from close co-operation in the past to build Penang’s second bridge and sending two rare pandas here for a year.

It is also learnt the Najib administration wants to show that they have the confidence of the Chinese government in carrying out joint-projects such as the 607ha park in Kuantan, which is expected to attract some RM7 billion in investments and create 5,500 job opportunities upon completion in 2020.

Jia (right), the outgoing fourth most-senior Politburo member, will launch the Malaysia-China Kuantan Industrial Park (MCKIP) this February 5 along with Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak.

The Singapore Straits Times cited analysts who said recent joint ventures between Malaysia and China have helped boost bilateral ties, and could help the Najib administration get better support from the Chinese community here, ahead of the 13th general election.

“While Malaysia’s and China’s businessmen have been dealing closely with one another for decades, in recent years, the two governments have visibly strengthened their trade and official ties as well,” the paper quoted political analyst Oh Ei Sun of the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies as saying.

Newspaper columnist Koh Kok Wee observed that recent initiatives with China taken by Malaysia have been tailored towards both economic and political gains.

“Mr Najib has been blessed with his father’s legacy. The Chinese have taken to him because they still remember warmly Tun Abdul Razak’s historic visit to China in 1974,” Koh was quoted as saying by ST.

Malaysia was the first ASEAN nation to establish diplomatic ties with China, following the 1974 visit, ST added.

“But whether the recent moves will sway Chinese Malaysian voters is unclear. It’s a different generation from when [Tun] Abdul Razak visited China,” the paper wrote.

Najib, Malaysia’s sixth prime minister, will soon be leading the ruling Barisan Nasional (BN) coalition into federal polls, which observers believe will be the most closely fought electoral battle to date.

According to a recent survey by the University of Malaya Centre of Democracy and Election (UMCEDEL), the Chinese community and young voters make up most of the fence sitters who will determine the winner of Election 2013.

A total of 1,409 voters were polled by the centre recently on whether they thought BN or Pakatan Rakyat (PR) would win, with 42 per cent saying the former will win and 37 per cent saying the latter will win.

For hot issues over the past year, such as the National Feedlot Centre (NFC) scandal, the controversial Lynas rare-earth plant and crime, those who said they would cause a drop in support for BN stood at 62 per cent, 61 per cent and 51 per cent respectively.

A whopping 95 per cent of Chinese voters polled were concerned about integrity.

Other key issues for the Chinese community are the increase of the nation’s debt attributed to the alleged weak management of the economy at 89 per cent, while the Lynas plant and increase in the prices of goods were at 86 and 82 per cent respectively.