Hang Tuah Jaya voters will see the error of their ways, says Ali Rustam

Shortly after his shocking defeat in the 13th general election, former Malacca chief minister Mohd Ali Rustam had reportedly accused the Chinese Malaysian community of being "very racist" for allegedly voting along ethnic lines.

Ali also said at that time that they did not appreciate what he had done to uplift their community.

However, five years on, he appears to have taken on a more understanding view of what happened in GE13.

"Back then, they were trying to change (the government). They were saying, 'Ini kalilah’ (this is the time), but they have already tried (the opposition) and it seems like they did not manage to get anything out of it.

"So I implore them to come back to BN, and they have said that they will give BN another chance," Ali said during an interview with Malaysiakini in Malacca.

He had just come from a BN programme where his camaraderie with the grassroots was on full display.

After his speech – during which he stopped several times to speak directly to specific audience members – Ali went up to every table to greet the grassroots members.

He then followed the buffet line to take his own food, and had lunch with them.

Even when he arrived at the location of the interview, a nearby restaurant, he went up to greet customers at every table before sitting down to talk.

Community ties

Even though Ali lost in GE13, it is evident that he still looms large in the community – exemplified by a family at the restaurant perking up upon seeing him and requesting a photograph with him.

Ali has been described as hardworking, as he takes the time to visit those in his old parliamentary constituency of Bukit Katil, which has been renamed Hang Tuah Jaya after the recent redelineation exercise.

From hospital visits to funerals, dinner events to school visits, he makes a point of attending any event in the area he is invited to.

This would partly explain why he feels confident that BN will be able to recapture the parliamentary seat, which PKR vice-president Shamsul Iskandar Md Akin won in the last 13th general election.

Shamsul's apparent lack of presence in the area, he claims, would also work to BN’s favour in the 14th general election.

"From my own survey, there are many voters here who do not know who their parliamentarian is, and they do not know where his house is, or where his office is.

"I am surprised too, because I thought many people would know, but actually they do not.

"They do not even know how to say his name, let alone his office or house," Ali told Malaysiakini.

This, he said, is a sign that Hang Tuah Jaya voters are dissatisfied, because their representative has seemingly not provided them the services they need.

"(BN's chances of winning) appear to be better than before, because, back then, many people thought they might want to change and find a new assemblyperson or a new parliamentarian, but after they have tried it, they see that they do not get anything.”

‘We can do better’

On the other hand, Ali said, the development previously seen in Hang Tuah Jaya is proof that BN is able to deliver on its promise to serve the community.

He listed all the facilities in the area developed during his 13-year tenure as chief minister, such as boarding schools, universities, housing, state police headquarters, hospitals and also the Melaka Sentral public transportation hub.

"BN can deliver a lot of benefits in this constituency. What we have done, we can improve.

"There are many things we can do in this seat of the state administration, in terms of health services, education and job opportunities in new fields, such as digital economy and biotechnology," he said.

So much more could have been done in the area, Ali lamented, had he been given the mandate in 2013.

"In 13 years, I managed to transform Malacca (as the chief minister). In the past five years, nothing has been done (in Hang Tuah Jaya). If we had won that day, in these five years I could have done so many new things.

"This is another five years. If we do not take Hang Tuah Jaya back, we will have lost 10 years. The longer it is, the older we get, so while we have this life, we want things to be easier, better.

"I want to help people because we were born to serve, we like to do such work. That is why, even though I lost, I still do work, and if I win, I will do work," he said.

‘Not completely right’

Conceding that the caretaker BN government is "not completely right", Ali nevertheless implored voters not to undo all that it has done, despite a few slights.

"We are not completely right. Our government are no angels. Like out of 10, we might make one or two mistakes, which can be fixed.

"Do not dismantle all the good just because of one or two mistakes. To rebuild everything is not easy," he said.

Though there have been many signs pointing to Ali making a comeback to contest in Hang Tuah Jaya, he remained coy when asked about whether this would be the 68-year-old's last election.

"I don't want to comment on all these issues about contesting. Wait till the prime minister announces, then I will comment," he said.

Umno president Najib Abdul Razak and de facto deputy president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi have thrown their weight behind Ali for Hang Tuah Jaya.

Najib, who attended the launch of the constituency's election operations centre last month, had declared that BN "really, really" wanted the seat back.

Zahid, meanwhile, pledged to ensure that Ali makes his comeback in the constituency.

Ali was defeated by Shamsul by a 5,447-vote majority in the last general election, but the PKR veep might be facing a tough battle to defend the seat following the redelineation exercise.

The new electoral borders will see the polling districts of Taman Melaka Baru, Batu Berendam, Taman Merdeka, Taman Asean and Malim Jaya moved from the constituency into neighbouring Kota Melaka, an opposition stronghold.

Collectively, the five polling stations made up 13,831 PKR votes and 5,856 BN votes in the last general election.

With all else being equal, this could translate into Shamsul having a 7,975-vote deficit, effectively erasing his vote majority and giving BN a 1,242-vote surplus.

However, Ali said that if it had been up to him, he would have wanted to add more polling districts into Hang Tuah Jaya.

"I did suggest adding a few more areas into Hang Tuah Jaya. That would be better, but the Election Commission didn't want to do that. But it is okay," he said.

Exoduses have occurred before

Despite the seeming advantage to BN after the redelineation, there were concerns that Umno splinter party Bersatu might trigger a Malay revolt in GE14.

Again, Ali dismissed this by pointing out that Umno members have left the party before to join PAS or PKR.

"There are some people who joined Bersatu, but not to the point where it can defeat us.

"There are some candidates who are former Umno members, but it was like this before, with them joining PAS, PKR and even Amanah.

"BN can still control Malacca... I think the voters can analyse and understand the situation for themselves," Ali said. - Mkini