KOTA TINGGI: Pejuang’s candidate for Sedili, Tariq Ismail Mustafa, acknowledges that he is an outsider in the coastal constituency in Kota Tinggi, making him the underdog in a four-cornered fight for the seat.
Fluent in English and rather urbane in his attire and demeanour, the Pejuang international affairs bureau chief seems out of place in a constituency where a large portion of the electorate is made up of Felda settlers.
Tariq half expects to lose in the fight for the seat, which Barisan Nasional won with a 9,168-vote majority in 2018.
But he told FMT he would continue to help improve the local economy in Sedili even if he were to lose in his maiden election outing.
He said: “If I win, then it’s great. In fact, I will be shocked. But even if I were to lose, I’m committed here. I’ve been telling people that I will not leave. We’ll find ways to build Sedili up.
“I haven’t touched on politics at all. I do talk about the economy and ask the people what they would like to see here.
“I have a few initiatives I plan to bring here. I want to tell the people here that this is what I can offer if you vote for me, but it’s fine even if you don’t. I’m not going to think you’re my enemy.”
Tariq is a grandson of Dr Ismail Abdul Rahman, who was once the country’s deputy prime minister.
He said he had refrained from trumpeting his pedigree because he wanted the people of Sedili to “see me as myself”.
He confessed to being surprised by how much he liked Sedili.
“Honestly, I just fell in love with the place. It’s Malaysia 50 years ago. There are plenty of opportunities here. I suppose it’s a testing ground of how we can bring up the Malay economy and the new Malays.”
If you live in Sedili and need to go to a petrol station or an ATM kiosk, you would have to travel more than 30km outside the town. The nearest hospital is in Kota Tinggi, almost 40km away.
Seated at the Sedili Kechil beach near his operations room, Tariq said there was great potential for Sedili to become a tourism spot.
“But once again, I hope the people have the patience for medium-term to long-term projects,” he said. “I’m taking it upon myself to start these.
“I want to show people that Malays outside the city centres are not like so-called rednecks. They’re accommodating. They’ve welcomed me although I may not be in their inner circle.”
Tariq will face Barisan Nasional’s Muszaide Makmur, Perikatan Nasional’s Hasnolhadi Mohd Sebalas and Pakatan Harapan’s Mat Khairi Samsudin in the March 12 polls. - FMT
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