Will Zahid find it easy in Bagan Datuk?

Not so, according to PKR's Kesavan, who thinks non-Malays will support Pakatan and Malay votes will split three ways.

Zahid Hamidi meeting the people in Bagan Datuk.

PETALING JAYA: In the 2013 general election, PKR’s Madhi Hasan put up a strong fight against Ahmad Zahid Hamidi for the Bagan Datuk parliament seat. He got nearly 47% of the 33,069 votes cast.

Zahid, who is expected to defend the seat for his sixth term, said last October that he aimed to retain it with five times the majority votes he got in 2013.

This time around, he will be contesting not only as Umno’s de facto deputy president, but as deputy prime minister as well.

With a three-way fight on the cards, meaning a split of the opposition votes between Pakatan Harapan and PAS, Zahid may feel that his position is strong.

But according to the state assemblyman for Hutan Melintang, PKR’s S Kesavan, Zahid shouldn’t be too confident because non-Malay support may not go his way and Malay support will be split three ways.

Hutan Melintang lies inside the Bagan Datuk constituency.

“For the Bagan Datuk seat, the Malay votes are likely to be split three ways, and I believe that at least 70% of non-Malay votes will go to PH,” Kesavan told FMT. “So I think our chances are good.”

By Kesavan’s estimate, Bagan Datuk now has about 49,000 voters, with Malays accounting for 60%, Indians 21% and Chinese 19%.

Indian votes are especially vital, which was why BN was trying hard to win them over by organising many activities, especially for those in the lower-income group.

He said the Indian votes were especially crucial, adding that this was why BN was trying hard to win them over by organising many activities aimed at pleasing them.

“In GE13, even though a number of Indian votes went back to BN at the national level, in Bagan Datuk the vast majority stuck with the opposition,” he said.

“Now, with Hindraf and the Minority Rights Action Party backing PH, I believe we can get 2% more Indian votes.”

However, Kesavan said he was worried that Pakatan might lose the Hutan Melintang seat because of the alleged influx of new voters to the area from the army and other constituencies.

Last November, election watchdog Bersih 2.0 claimed to have found that 2,645 new voters had been added to the roll although the two army camps for the area were still under construction.

“Still, I strongly believe I can win if I’m chosen to defend the seat,” Kesavan said.

However, veteran Umno member Hamzah Zakaria said Pakatan had no chance of winning Bagan Datuk, Hutan Melintang or the other state constituency of Rungkup, even with former prime minister Mahathir Mohamad leading the charge.

“Here, Mahathir is not a factor at all. The people of Bagan Datuk remember how he treated Zahid,” he said, referring to his arrest under the Internal Security Act in 1998.

Zahid was Umno Youth chief at the time. According to the police, he was a henchman of sacked deputy prime minister Anwar Ibrahim and was tasked to carry out acts prejudicial to public order.

Hamzah, who has been an Umno member since 1978, said Zahid had been able to win the hearts of people of all races in Bagan Datuk.

“He is very much in touch with the ground,” he said. “He is back every week unless he is overseas. He goes to the villages to meet people from morning till night. He goes to Malay, Chinese and Indian villages, and not just for events at community halls.”

Hamzah said Zahid had also brought much development to Bagan Datuk, adding that some 70 infrastructure projects had either been implemented or were in progress since Bagan Datuk became a district in 2016.

“There is nothing for the opposition to complain about. I hope that YB Kesavan will defend his seat because we want to take Hutan Melintang back from him.”

In GE13, Kesavan retained the Hutan Melintang seat, which he first won in 2008, with a 1,240-vote majority in a four-way battle against MIC, Berjasa and an independent candidate.

The battle for Rungkup was won by BN’s Shahrul Zaman Yahya with a slim 613-vote majority over PAS’ Mohd Misbahul Munir Masduki. -FMT