Mahathir fires up sleepy Felda village in Kubang Pasu

GE14 | Nestled deep inside Kubang Pasu, a 100km away from Penang, the journey to Felda Bukit Tangga was encased in darkness despite the stars above, as there were hardly any street lamps along the way.

But the sleepy Felda settlement in Bukit Kayu Hitam was fired up last night with the presence of Bersatu leaders, especially its chairperson Dr Mahathir Mohamad, who is on a ‘Selamatkan Felda, Selamatkan Malaysia’ (Save Felda, save Malaysia) tour across Kedah this week.

There were hardly any Bersatu flags, although the leaders wore their red party uniforms, but PKR's blue eyes were flying high at the ceramah venue, flapping in the cool gentle breeze.

Harapan allies, including Amanah and DAP, have decided to use PKR's light blue flags as their common logo, after Bersatu was provisionally suspended by the Registrar of Societies, which put an end to their hope for a Harapan logo.

Queries arise as to why this Felda settlement has been neglected for six decades although Mahathir, their former MP, was the country's prime minister for 22 years and his son, Mukhriz Mahathir, was Kedah menteri besar for a couple of years from 2013 to 2015.

But the simple kampung folks hold no grudges, as they warmly welcomed the Harapan leader, his wife Dr Siti Hasmah Hashim and Mukhriz, with loud cheers when they arrived at the ceramah after 9pm.

Accompanying the trio were former PAS opposition leader Amiruddin Hamzah, who ditched the Islamic party for Bersatu last year, and the party's central committee member and former Felda assistant chairperson, Zahid Md Arif.

DAP Derga assemblyperson Tan Kok Yew and incumbent PKR’s Alor Setar parliamentarian Gooi Hsiao Leung were among the crowd.

The mostly Malay crowd was a mix of old and young Felda settlers, their families, and outsiders, who came from Alor Setar and as far as Perlis to hear what the politicians had to say.

‘A big crook’

The 2,000-strong crowd remained attentive to the end of the ceramah and responded to the speakers who rained criticisms on caretaker Prime Minister Najib Razak, labelling him a “thief” and “robber” as they explained the 1MDB scandal to the people.

They loudly echoed Mukhriz when he chimed thrice, "Pakat aleh bagi elok" (Together, we will make it better).

They cheered when Mahathir said Harapan would abolish the GST should it seize power from BN in the coming national polls.

They laughed when Mahathir called Najib "stupid" for trying to fool the people by boasting that the country's economy is in good shape, when it is public knowledge that "we are deep in debt."

He jested about a member of Arab royalty who allegedly deposited RM2.6 billion into Najib's private bank accounts, and said "how can an Arab be as mad as that?"

"I was PM, too. I know Najib needs money for the GE14 campaign. So what does he do, steal ler," said Mahathir to giggles from the crowd.

"He has a friend called Low Taek Jho, or Jho Low, who gave him ideas on how to steal money," claimed Mahathir, drawing more laughter from the crowd.

"RM2.6 billion can fit into 2,600 of lorries! Can you believe Najib?" Mahathir asked, and the crowd responded with a firm "No!"

"But this is Najib – he is a big crook..."

Although several countries, including the US Department of Justice, have launched investigations into Malaysia’s troubled sovereign wealth fund for alleged money laundering activities carried out in their respective jurisdictions involving about RM20 billion, Najib has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing.

Attorney-general Mohamed Apandi Ali had also cleared Najib, to which Mahathir sarcastically said while the crowd chuckled, "There is a new way in court to prove your innocence, just say you did no wrong."

Harapan confident in doing well

Malaysiakini spoke to several villagers, who came to see "Tun" as he is popularly known, and many were delighted to have him back on the political scene although a couple expressed concern if Mahathir and his cohorts could be trusted.

Hashinah Umar, who came to the ceramah with her young daughter and grandchildren, said Mahathir would be able to lead the opposition to victory in GE14.

"We will support him as we did years ago. He has always been around," said the homemaker, 60, who was clad in her baju kurung and black tudung.

Asked why she decided not to support Najib, Hashinah curtly replied, "I simply do not like him, I've never seen him around here.”

Hashinah, who has six children, and have lived in the Felda for 60 years, added, "My children feel the same way."

However, Ong Somchai, a farmer, raised concerns about Mahathir's entry into the opposition coalition, saying while he is able to attract the Malay crowd, it does not guarantee that Bersatu leaders who win the polls would not jump ship to Umno.

"It's in their DNA and we are worried," said Ong, who lived in the northern region state for a decade.

"We are told the other camps are just waiting to buy them over, how many could withstand this challenge?

"Nevertheless, we hope many would come back to vote so that we can see changes in the country," added the 40-year-old native of Kedah.

Meanwhile, Perlis PKR Wanita chief Fuziah Hamzah (far left, photo above) appeared to be confident of capturing Mahathir’s home state, putting Harapan’s chances at 70 percent.

"We have been working round the clock and happy to note that the response from the ground has been encouraging," she added.

Malaysia will go to polls on May 9, while nomination day is April 28. - Mkini