CAMERON POLLS | As volunteers packed away the tables and chairs after a BN event in Pos Mensun, Ringlet, a dilapidated hall stood in the background.
Built some two decades ago, villagers told Malaysiakini that the hall, with its paint peeling and walls covered in graffiti, is seldom used due to its condition and rumours of it being haunted.
Earlier, BN held its first campaign event for the Cameron Highlands by-election just outside the hall, where former ministers such as Noh Omar and Nazri Abdul Aziz rallied the villagers to bestow BN candidate Ramli Mohd Nor with the honour of being the first ever Orang Asli member of parliament.
The Umno leaders said the former police officer would be able to improve the lives of the Orang Asli people if he wins the Jan 26 contest.
Pos Mensun, which is a 30-minute drive from Tanah Rata, is Ramli's village. Many of his relatives and friends from the Semai tribe still live here.
A reminder of broken promises
For Fauziah Angin, while she is proud of her cousin's candidature, the hall is a reminder of BN's broken promises.
"The hall is old and no one has ever looked into it. No one has refurbished or renovated it, it is terrible. This kampung has been left behind in terms of development.
"BN has been campaigning here for years, but there has been no development. That is why I doubt if they mean it this time.
"[...] Election candidates are only good at talking when campaigning. They come here because they want to win, to get positions and wealth. But when they win, they don't come and they don't see what we need," she said.
Fauziah, 36, said if BN had fielded a candidate who is not an Orang Asli, she would not have considered voting for the coalition again.
However, with Ramli contesting, she is now undecided.
Similarly, mother of two Zainab Abdullah, 43, reserved her decision on Ramli until she had seen more from his campaign.
"Him being an Orang Asli candidate does not make me believe in him more. He just became the candidate, we don’t know much about him.
"[...] In the past I applied for assistance and things from BN, I didn't get it. That is the problem. That is why I will think about this a lot before I decide who to support," she told Malaysiakini.
Zainab, who lives in Kampung Sungai Relong located deeper in the interior, complained that the previous government had ignored the Orang Asli for a long time.
"We want development just like the other races. Development in terms of infrastructure, housing, roads and education. We have been sidelined for a long time," she said.
'Ramli is the only one who can represent us'
In contrast, Ramli's cousin Rosli Bedak was more confident in the BN candidate's ability to champion the Orang Asli in Cameron Highlands.
He lauded Ramli's success as the nation's highest ever ranking Orang Asli police officer, adding that his decision to contest in the by-election after retiring from the force had increased his admiration for him.
A retired General Operations Force (PGA) officer himself, Rosli, 59, said only Ramli could represent the Orang Asli.
"I believe in him because not only is he from the same race, he is also from the same family [...] The Orang Asli can finally place their hopes in someone of their own.
"When that someone is an Orang Asli, we can just mention one word and he will understand what we mean. All the problems and situations in the interior," he said.
In the past, Rosli said he had "no other choice" but to back BN as it was the federal government.
"This time, I am backing Ramli,” he stressed.
For loyal BN supporter Azman Akau, 27, having his relative as the candidate gives him another reason to back the coalition.
"I have been supporting BN candidates no matter who they were. Even more that now we have an Orang Asli and he is a relative," he added.
Manogaran's 'unofficial' visit
A day after Ramli's visit, Pakatan Harapan and its candidate M Manoragan visited Pos Mensun. The Harapan campaigners also went to Kampung Sungai Relong.
This small village, with a mix of bamboo and concrete houses, has electricity and running water. However, there is no cell phone reception.
Split in half by a river, the village is dotted with Harapan flags and one of the bamboo houses served as the coalition's operations room.
Unlike Ramli, there were no ceramah or gatherings by Harapan vote canvassers. Manogaran and his team walked around the area and greeted villagers, who peeked at the strangers from their homes.
"This is done in an unofficial way. If done in an official manner it would have been livelier. We were not notified. So no one turned up," complained Ramlee Akum as he watched the vehicles leaving the area.
On the other hand, he said Ramli had informed the villagers about his programme at least a week beforehand, which gave them ample time to spread the news to all the villages in the area.
Nor Hano was one of the villagers who came to the operations room with his young children in tow just as Manogaran exited the room.
Photographers roped him, his children and several other villagers, to pose for photographs with the Harapan candidate.
When asked later, Nor Hano, 35, did not know who Manogaran was. This was despite the fact the DAP man is contesting the seat for the third time.
Although he knows Ramli, he said the former police officer seldom returned to the village.
"He was busy with work. Only recently, after he (retired) he came back more often.
"I'm not sure about him yet because I don't really know him anymore. He has spent decades living in the city," he told Malaysiakini.
First time seeing Manogaran
The villagers in Kampung Sungai Relong, whom Malaysiakini spoke to, said this was the first time they have seen Manogaran.
"I have never met him. Never met (anyone from Harapan). This is my first time," said a villager named Ramli.
When asked who put up the Harapan flags in the village, he said it was one of the villagers named Narbi, who is a strong Harapan supporter.
Siah, 45, who claimed to be the BN candidate's niece, said she travelled to Pos Mensun yesterday to see her uncle.
"My father was his younger brother. I met him yesterday. People told me my uncle was coming, so I went to see him. He looks like my father," she added.
However, Siah was unconcerned about how either candidate could help bring aid or develop the village.
"We can find work to put food on the table. If we like something, we buy it ourselves, and it is not the government who gives it to us.
"I don't think we need (help). We are living on our own effort now, without any help from the government," she added. - Mkini
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