Kuala Langat: Indians to decide the winner

The Kuala Langat constituency is semi-urban and largely Malay in population. — Pictures by Choo Choy May

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. 

KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 5 — With Klang to its north, Putrajaya to its east and Sepang down south, the Kuala Langat parliamentary constituency lies precariously on the western edge of Malaysia’s richest and most populous state, Selangor.

A single road connects its main urban centres — the Telok Panglima Garang free industrial zone, Jenjarom town as well as the district’s capital Banting.

A 40-minute drive from Kuala Lumpur, this constituency is painfully inaccessible via public transport. No KTM or MRT trains, only private buses that ferry residents to Klang, the Kuala Lumpur International Airport and the federal capital of Kuala Lumpur.

With a voter base of 87,239 people, this semi-urban constituency is in many ways a microcosm of Malaysia. The racial composition of its voters is 54.50 per cent Malays, 26.03 per cent Chinese, 17.04 per cent Indians and even an Orang Asli settlement of about 800 people who make up 1.87 per cent of the voters.

Kuala Langat has a voter base of 87,239 people.

Hometown to Malaysia’s most famous badminton family, the illustrious Sidek brothers, Kuala Langat has a mix of economic activities including small-scale fisheries, agriculture in the form of oil palm plantations, birds’ nest cultivation as well as heavy and light industries.

Big names such as Megasteel and Toshiba proudly greet visitors who venture off the Kesas highway into the district.

Prior to 2008, this constituency was an Umno stronghold with former Minister of Higher Education Datuk Seri Dr Shafie Salleh serving as MP from 1999 to 2008.

In the 2008 political tsunami, however, the Kuala Langat parliamentary constituency, like many other constituencies around the country, fell into the hands of the federal opposition, albeit with a slim majority of 989 votes.

As for its three state assembly seats — Sijangkang, Teluk Datuk and Morib — all of which were at one time Barisan Nasional (BN) strongholds, only Morib is currently held by the ruling federal coalition.

Nonetheless, the current Kuala Langat MP, newcomer Abdullah Sani Abdullah Hamid from PKR, seems to have a good grasp of the issues affecting his constituents and demonstrates a strong knowledge of the area.

Attacked for not being a local boy, the new MP rebuked his critics by quickly buying a house in the constituency and changing his registration address after being elected.

Banting is the district’s capital.

The former Perak-born Malaysian Trades Union Congress (MTUC) vice-president, who keeps a relatively low profile, however states that his biggest problem is procuring land for development projects, which limits his abilities as an elected representative.

“Most plots of land here have already been sold or given off to cronies of the previous administration,” he told The Malaysian Insider recently.

In spite of this, he feels that he has strong support from his constituents who desire change and is confident of retaining the seat.

Of course, the man that BN will most likely choose to represent the coalition in the upcoming general election feels otherwise.

Datuk Sulaiman Karli, Umno’s Kuala Langat division chief, thinks that BN will be able to take back the constituency by coasting on votes from the Malay and Indian voters.

When asked why BN lost in 2008, Sulaiman, who was BN’s candidate at that time, said: “Apart from the unhappiness among the Malays against Pak Lah, plenty of Umno supporters also turned their backs on us due to internal fighting.”

According to him, Kuala Langat Umno boasts about 17,000 members, almost 20 per cent of the voters.

“Hence, my strategy has been to first consolidate support within my own party as well as ensure that BN’s component parties present a united front before campaigning to the general public,” he said.

Sulaiman, however, admitted that Chinese support for Umno is “below par” saying that even though plenty of Chinese show up for BN-sponsored events, one can never really tell which way they are going to vote.

“I have told my MCA counterpart to focus on making sure their members vote for us before even thinking about lobbying other Chinese. Right now, I am not even sure MCA members will vote for us,” the Umno man said.

On his part, Sulaiman is eager for a second chance to prove himself. An Umno member for almost 30 years, the former religious school teacher is very much a grassroots man and is banking on his strong service track record to seal an election victory.

In Taman Pahlawan where he stays, residents often call on him for help, almost oblivious to the fact that he holds no actual authority within the district’s government bureaucracy.

This is the Malay heartland where face-to-face meetings and kenduris carry more weight than policy debates.

Nonetheless, while the BN flag may fly high in the rural areas, unless Sulaiman can acquire more support among non-Malays, wresting back the seat will be an uphill battle.

Among the Chinese residents surveyed, all threw their unequivocal support behind the opposition, with one middle-aged businessman stating: “The country is in dire need of leadership. Change is necessary. If we don’t like the new government, we can throw them out in the following elections. This is democracy.”

The same businessman laughingly pointed out that while the MCA would throw dinners every now and then to woo Chinese voters, most attendees, including himself, had already made up their minds on who they were going to vote for.

The Indians surveyed, however, were less certain about which way they were going to vote. While many acknowledged that the BN government had not done enough to help the community, some were sceptical that things would be any different under the opposition.

Coupled with MIC’s fairly broad network in the constituency, the willingness among Indians to give the ruling administration yet another chance is perhaps something that Sulaiman can count on during the elections especially if he can tackle issues such as the state of landlessness among estate workers in nearby Carey Island.

With one of the largest Indian populations in the country, the Indians of Kuala Langat will undoubtedly command plenty of leverage.

Abdullah Sani knows it will be tough to retain his seat.

When asked what issues voters would be looking at when casting their vote, both potential candidates pointed to facilities that would enhance quality of life, especially among the youth.

With plenty of jobs available, it is evident that voters, almost 70 per cent of whom are under the age of 50, are looking for a candidate that will take measures to upgrade their standard of living.

While businesses are growing with the introduction of a new Giant hypermarket and McDonald’s outlet in Banting, to Abdullah Sani upgrading means improvement in the delivery of public services.

He pointed out that Banting Hospital, which is located down the street from his service centre, does not have a single specialist.

“Almost every hour you can hear an ambulance transporting a patient in critical condition to the Klang General Hospital.

“Even our firefighting equipment is out of date. We now have taller buildings in Banting and if fires were to break out there, our firefighters would not be able to deal with it,” Abdullah Sani said.

Of course, the road to a second term will not be so rosy for the current MP who has recently been in the news after his ex-wife lodged a police report against him for allegedly kicking her out of their home in Banting.

The MP, who had married his personal assistant without the consent of his first wife, denies the charges levelled against him and says that his second marriage was to fulfil a request made by his mother.

Does he think this domestic scandal will affect him in the coming elections?

“It is a personal matter,” he said, before adding, “plus, kampung folk are not against the culture of multiple marriages.”

“Still, I have prepared a video which includes a statement from my mother to explain the scandal as I am sure my opponents will use it against me in the upcoming elections,” Abdullah Sani said.