Trouble brewing for Saravanan in Tapah?

Many locals are dissatisfied with the way he has been managing the area.

Barisan Nasional flags are seen in the town of Tapah, where the coalition’s candidate M Saravanan is looking to secure a third term.

TAPAH: Tapah incumbent M Saravanan may find it difficult to retain his seat as locals claim he has made little difference to the small town.

Many of the locals whom FMT spoke to said they were unaware of any significant changes the two-term MP had made to the area, located on the outskirts of Kampar.

Rashid Abdullah, 68, said the only development of any significance to the community was the construction of an Indian temple and a sports centre.

“What we need is basic necessities. He has been holding this seat for almost 10 years, and the only changes I can see him doing are for the Indian community.

“This area does not even have a stable phone and network coverage. Even trying to watch government channels on television is difficult, and many people have to subscribe to Astro in order to get a stable connection.”

Rashid added that locals hardly had a chance to meet with Saravanan as he was never around.

Ahmad Asri Hamidun, 70, said it was time for a change as the people in Tapah were fed up with Saravanan.

“I often talk to my Chinese friends, and many of them say that they are not going to vote for Barisan Nasional (BN) anymore as they are tired of how Saravanan does not contribute to the public or cater to their needs.”

Asri said Saravanan had pledged to build a new police station, but added that this would only benefit the police officers, not the general public.

He also claimed BN had not kept the promises it made before previous elections, and that it was just a gimmick to win votes.

“Saravanan said he would have more development for Tapah in the last general election. Five years later, this place has seen no improvement. He should walk the talk instead of just making empty promises.”

However, others spoke highly of Saravanan and said they would vote for him again in the coming election.

Balakrishnan Chandran, 80, said he had supported Saravanan since his first foray in Tapah, and would continue to do so.

“He has changed our lives for the better. There are houses built for us, and now we have a roof over our heads thanks to him,” Balakrishnan said.

Saravanan first won the Tapah seat in 2008. He successfully defended it in the 2013 general election, defeating PKR’s K Vasantha Kumar, Berjasa’s Shaharuzzaman Bistamam and independent candidate Ridzuan Bani.

This time around, he faces a three-cornered fight with PKR’s Mohamed Azni Mohamed Ali and PAS’ Norazli Musa. - FMT