PETALING JAYA (April 12): If the results of an Barisan Nasional survey are anything to go by, incumbent PKR Lembah Pantai MP Nurul Izzah Anwar is losing ground in the battle for Federal Territory's hottest parliamentary seat.
According to the Barisan Nasional Youth Volunteers (BNYV), roughly one-third of about 200 Lembah Pantai constituents who took part in a phone survey over the last month are leaning heavily towards Federal Territories and Urban Wellbeing Minister, Datuk Raja Nong Chik Raja Zainal Abidin, the BN candidate for the seat.
(The remaining 70% was unevenly split between fence sitters and opposition supporters, according to the survey, which is only meant for BN's internal use.)
BNYV is a volunteer programme under BN Youth that was set up June 2012 to provide a platform for BN youth supporters outside the official party campaign machinery to play a role in GE13.
The group has an estimated 10,000 volunteers who are spread over its seven state chapters, and its headquarters in Jalan Telawi, Bangsar has been working the ground and phone lines in Lembah Pantai.
Pakatan captured the BN stronghold in the 2008 general elections when Nurul Izzah defeated incumbent Datuk Seri Sharizat Abdul Jalil by a majority of 2,895 votes.
Since then BN has been on a warpath to reclaim this prized seat from the first-term politician, whom they claimed rode to victory on her father (opposition leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim)'s coat tails.
And so PKR's Puteri Reformasi is expected to face Umno's Lembah Pantai chief in one of the fiercest fights that will officially begin come nomination day on April 20.
An Umno personality, however, has observed that Nurul Izzah is in "big trouble" due to the reactions that BNYV has been receiving from the survey respondents.
"When asked who their MP is, many of them are already naming Raja Nong Chik because they see him more and relate to him better," said the source, who asked not to be named due to the confidentiality of BNYV's survey results.
"Izzah is strong in Bangsar Utama and Lucky Garden but not in Kerinchi. But we're not too worried about residents in these two areas because many of them are either expatriates or non-constituents."
Lembah Pantai's 72,533 voters are divided between the urban, wealthy Bangsar and Pantai Dalam, which houses a combination of affluent and working class Malays.
When asked to weigh in on the survey results, BNYV's Director and National Coordinator Zaidel Baharuddin pointed out that for voters to recognise Raja Nong Chik as their MP instead of a national figure like Nurul Izzah spoke volumes.
He added that Nurul Izzah's position as a national figure is a double-edged sword as far as her groundwork is concerned as it took her away from her constituents.
"She's famous but she travels a great deal throughout the country and Lembah Pantai hardly sees her," Zaidel stated.
"When Izzah speaks at ceramahs outside Kuala Lumpur, Raja Nong Chik will be attending five functions in Lembah Pantai."
He noted that while Umno Youth chief and incumbent Rembau MP, Khairy Jamaluddin, is also a national figure, he has efficient ground machinery to take care of things in his constituency.
Zaidel also said that it helped that the state's caretaker menteri besar, Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan is the assembly member of Rantau, a state seat within the Rembau constituency.
Nurul Izzah's supporters in Lembah Pantai have already shouted down BN's claims her absenteeism and argued that she has in fact defied the odds to serve them through various programmes like establishing mobile clinics, providing assistance to single parents and donating wheelchairs to the disabled.
One of her constituents recently wrote a letter to the media in defence of her saying that she had personally witnessed her MP's "dedication, sensitivity and humility" in Lembah Pantai.
But when it comes down to the wire, Zaidel believes the victor will be the candidate with the mightier personality.
"Izzah's biggest problem is Raja Nong Chik himself," he said. "If it was anyone else, she probably wouldn't be facing this predicament."
"Raja Nong Chik is not a parachuted candidate. He lives here. Jadi sayang lah, for her. (So it's a pity for her)."
But Nurul Izzah's political secretary, Fahmi Fadzil, has swatted off any expressions of sympathy and has suggested that her detractors take time to visit her official Facebook page.
There, he said, was all the necessary pictorial evidence of Nurul Izzah spending a significant chunk of time in Lembah Pantai.
"She has posted pictures of her functions and ceramahs in Lembah Pantai for all her 300,000 followers to see," Fahmi stated.
"And she was on the ground during the recent mudslide in Gasing Indah and Kampung Pasir. (Claiming that she is absent) is just a malicious strategy."
Nurul Izzah's supporters in Lembah Pantai have also shouted down these claims and argued that she has in fact defied the odds to serve them through various programs like establishing mobile clinics, providing assistance to single parents and donating wheelchairs to the disabled.
One of her constituents recently wrote a letter to the media in defence of her saying that she had personally witnessed her MP's "dedication, sensitivity and humility" in Lembah Pantai.
Fahmi further pointed out that Nurul Izzah was an elected representative and a vice-president in a party who was directly elected by its members.
"Raja Nong Chik has never stood for an election before and is a backdoor senator," he said. "He only waited until Sharizat was out the door to slam it shut. He has the bigger issue when it comes to credibility."
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