Dr M: New boundaries and voters make Langkawi a challenge

Pakatan Harapan will face an uphill task winning in Langkawi due to new electoral boundaries and the moving of voters from the constituency, coalition chairperson Dr Mahathir Mohamad said.

He said this development had led to a reduction of 1,000 voters in the constituency, which has long been known as an Umno stronghold.

Nanyang Siang Pau reported Mahathir as telling a ceramah in Kukup, Johor, on Thursday that these relocated voters may not even know that they could no longer vote in Langkawi.

The report said Mahathir did not state if he would be fielded as a candidate in Langkawi.

However, the former prime minister raised his grievances about gerrymandering to illustrate alleged attempts to rig the elections in favour of the ruling BN coalition.

In September last year, Mahathir told Malaysiakini that should Harapan require him to be fielded, he would be looking at either Langkawi or Putrajaya.

Mahathir has been credited as the person responsible for transforming Langkawi from a fishing village into an internationally known tourist destination.

In 2013, BN's Nawawi Ahmad won the Langkawi seat convincingly, bagging 57 percent of the total votes cast.

Bugis acceptance?

Nanyang Siang Pau also quoted Mahathir as reiterating that his "Bugis pirate remark" was aimed squarely at Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak.

Those present at the ceramah, said to be mostly of Bugis heritage, reportedly shouted "Long live Tun" in response.

The Chinese daily news report also said that several members of the Bugis community were also seen taking photographs with Mahathir and his wife Dr Siti Hasmah Mohamad Ali.

At a Harapan rally in October, Mahathir described Najib as a "Bugis pirate" and a kleptocrat. This caused an outcry from several groups claiming to represent the Bugis community and complaints from the Selangor palace.

Following this, Mahathir clarified that the remark was aimed solely at Najib and he subsequently returned his Selangor state awards to the Selangor palace.

Kukup is located in Tanjung Piai, a parliamentary constituency that Harapan has entrusted to Bersatu. The seat was won by MCA in 2013, on a slim majority.

-Mkini