Rising cost of living makes people want more changes.
Deputy Prime Minister Zahid Hamidi is seeking a sixth term as Bagan Datuk MP in the May 9 election.
BAGAN DATUK: This small town located on the outskirts of Teluk Intan is widely synonymous with the incumbent MP, Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, who is also the deputy prime minister.
He has served as MP for five terms since 1995 and interviews with locals revealed most of them were rather fond of him.
They said their MP has taken good care of the people here.
Despite all that, they feel there are uncertainties in the future under the current government led by Prime Minister Najib Razak.
Maimunah Harun, 59, said Zahid possesess a certain charm.
“He has also developed this place and there are many facilities now for the benefit of the people.”
However, he was not too happy how the government is being administered.
Talking about the rising cost of living, she said the implementation of the goods and services tax (GST) had burdened the people and she felt the government should do more to help the people.
Maimunah said life was not this hard when Dr Mahathir Mohamad was PM and she sees Mahathir’s decision to join the opposition as a move to rectify current problems.
She added that in this coming election, she might not cast her ballot for the deputy PM due to this factor.
Similarly, Amidah Ahmad is against the implementation of GST and was aware of the questions raised over 1MDB.
“It is too bad for Zahid as he has done his job and loves his constituents.”
Naidu Kamalanathan, 30, said that he wants to see changes taking place in this general election as he says the rising cost of living had affected him badly.
“The people in this town earn less compared with those living in the cities. The implementation of GST has added to their financial burden.”
He admits that Zahid is well-loved by the people here as he has brought many projects and helped develop Bagan Datuk but people wanted a change.
Resident Kamarulzali Hisham, 70, disagreed with their opinions, saying he would still vote for Zahid despite all the bad things being said against the government.
“We must vote for the candidate who will actually contribute to society rather than just for the sake of wanting change.”
Kamarulzali said Zahid had contributed a lot to Bagan Datuk and this had a significant impact on the locals here.
“Before this, Bagan Datuk had nothing. Now, this small town has seen a considerable amount of development over the years.”
Bagan Datuk is 60% Malay, 22% Indians and 18% Chinese.
Zahid won against PKR’s Madhi Hasan with a majority of 2,108 votes in the last general election.
This time, Zahid will be challenged by Pakhurrazi Arshad (PKR), Ata Abdul Muneim Hasan Adli (PAS) and Ibrahim Mat Zin, an independent candidate.
*Ivy Chong contributed to this article.
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