JOHOR POLLS | As BN seeks to regain its dominance in Johor, opponents have warned that it could set the table for the return of kleptocrats who were responsible for plunging the country into one of the world's worst corruption scandals.
But in Felda areas, the message does not resonate with many voters as the link between corruption and the rot in governance is not immediately apparent.
Many work humble jobs - from factory workers to lorry drivers - and their focus is on making ends meet and keeping their settlement going.
The allocations and upgrades BN had brought to their settlement in the past feel more real than the story of shadowy bankers and businesspersons helping politicians to launder 1MDB money in faraway lands that is worthy of a Hollywood film.
The correlation between taxpayers picking up the tab from such scandals, leaving little left for development, may be clear in the government’s budgetary documents but they are not obvious on the ground.
After all, the development tap stopped after BN lost power and perhaps they can resume if the coalition returns, many settlers believe.
Some Felda settlers whom Malaysiakini spoke to weren’t necessarily supporters of ex-prime minister Najib Abdul Razak, who is accused of being a key figure in the 1MDB scandal, but were more concerned about their quality of life in the Felda settlements.
“No effect,” lorry driver Elmi Md Esa said curtly when asked about Najib and his corruption scandal.
“I’m not a staunch (supporter) but considering the current situation, BN used to fulfil their promises but the other parties just made promises,” the 37-year-old Felda Tenang voter said.
Johor has the second-largest Felda settlements after Pahang, making them a key demographic in the state election.
This is particularly true for a constituency like Tenang in northern Johor, which hosts three Felda settlements, namely Felda Tenang, Felda Chemplak, and Felda Chemplak Barat.
In the 2018 general election, these three Felda polling districts made up almost a quarter of the total votes.
They remained strongly with BN, albeit with some swing. Bersatu, which was part of Pakatan Harapan at the time, only won the Tenang seat with the support of voters in town areas.
‘Robber or not, life was better’
The sentiment is equally shared by 83-year-old Abdullah Mohamed, who hails from the nearby Kampung Tenang that voted equally strongly for BN in 2018.
“People said Tok Najib (Najib) is a robber and whatnot, but at least life was still good then.
“It all fell apart when the other party got into power,” he said.
The perception is largely driven by BN’s major role in lifting them out of poverty in the 1960s when the Felda settlements there were initiated.
Mansor Nisran, 58, of Felda Chemplak Barat, said Felda was established by the Umno-led government and he made sure his whole family, including his offsprings, understood that.
“I repeatedly told the history of Felda to my kids. The story of how we lived in difficult times before, and until where we are today,” said the father of six and grandfather of four.
“My children are all BN supporters. I put it like this, if they were to vote for others, they must go over my dead body first.”
However, the management of Felda during Najib’s era from 2009 to 2018 was tainted by a string of abuses.
His administration spearheaded the move to publicly list Felda assets through the creation of Felda Global Ventures Holdings Berhad (FGV), which raised a war chest of funds that was subsequently used to splurge on questionable hotel purchases, commercial development projects and land acquisitions.
Equally controversial was Felda’s overpriced purchase of a stake in Eagle High Plantations, a firm linked to Indonesian tycoon Peter Sondakh who is reportedly a close friend of Najib’s.
The mismanagements sent FGV’s share price tanking, from more than RM5 a share in mid-2012 to close at RM1.85 yesterday.
Felda mismanagement
Perikatan Nasional (PN) chairperson Muhyiddin Yassin has actively campaigned in Felda areas to remind voters about the transgressions and positioned himself as the man who “saved” Felda when he was prime minister.
While many of the abuses were detailed through a White Paper during the Pakatan Harapan administration from 2018 to 2020, the recommendations to address the problems were only implemented during Muhyiddin’s time due to the coalition’s untimely collapse.
Muhyiddin was among the key individuals who pushed for an internal coup against Harapan.
He was sworn in as the new prime minister in March 2020 under the PN government but his tenure was also short-lived when his new allies - Umno - similarly pulled off an internal coup against him in August 2021.
Muhyiddin, who is also the Bersatu president, is now going all-in against Umno, particularly in Felda area.
“Our intention is to remind people so they do not forget the many things that had happened to Felda during BN’s time.
“How Felda suffered major losses, how it was listed against the wishes of settlers, how at the instruction of the prime minister at the time (Najib), a stake was purchased in Eagle High at many times above the market price,” he told journalists when asked about his Felda blitz in Felda Palong Timur, Segamat during the first week of campaigning.
Many Felda residents, including BN supporters, acknowledged that if any party or coalition would be able to dent BN’s formidable support in their area, it would likely be PN.
“I believe I will vote for the same (BN). But I think PN might have some chance also. The two others, I have no idea what to say,” said 49-year-old Felda Tenang resident who only gave his name as Kalam. He is a second-generation settler.
In Tenang, the contenders are BN's Haslinda Salleh, PN's Ahmad Humaizi Uzir, Muda's Lim Wei Jiet and Pejuang's Mohd Fauzi Bachok.
The corporate abuses in Felda, like the 1MDB scandal, appear more distant compared to local issues.
The local factor
Most Felda settlers Malaysiakini spoke to were more concerned about the lack of housing for second and third-generation settlers which remained unsolved and insufficient allocation and upgrades in recent years.
Some Felda residents also complained that the Bersatu incumbent, Solihan Badri, was hard to reach as he was not a Tenang local.
Solihan is the Ledang Bersatu chief and has been moved to contest in Gambir in this election. Gambir is a state seat under the Ledang parliamentary constituency.
Solihan's replacement, Bersatu's Ahmad Humaizi Uzir, is mindful of the local factor and touted the fact that he had lived in Labis for 36 years. Tenang is a state seat within the parliamentary seat of Labis.
“Many people here support me here because I know about the local problems. Many know me, so that’s my advantage,” he told Malaysiakini.
However, for Felda residents who are concerned about abuses, there is a sense of disillusionment as they are upset at Bersatu for being in bed with Umno at the federal level while complaining about its corruption.
“I was with Bersatu but I haven’t been following (politics) recently. I’m a free agent now.
“Because it’s the same... the initial struggle was to take down Umno but now they join with Umno and Umno is now back to its old style. So how do we support them again?” he said.
The 55-year-old Felda Chemplak Barat resident said he is now leaning towards Muda - a rare preference among people in his age group.
“My children and I are supporting Muda. We see (Muda president) Syed Saddiq Abdul Rahman’s vision. We may not see success today, it won’t be easy and it’ll take time,” he said.
The young hold sway but...
Among younger voters, there is also a greater willingness to break away from the established political order, to the annoyance of some of their elders.
“Kids don’t know the Felda’s roots,” lamented 56-year-old ex-soldier Jefri Aman who has two children aged 20 and 22.
One such voter who does not feel a connection to BN like their elders is 21-year-old Mohd Faad. He works in an oil palm plantation and will be voting for the first time.
“I have yet to decide, but I may go for Muda,” he said.
Muda is also only just making its foray into Felda areas in Tenang, with the party’s Tenang candidate Lim expressing gratitude to Amanah leaders for helping to pave the way.
“We are a new party here, they still want to get to know us - what is Muda, who is Muda, what does Muda stand for.
“But when we explain to them that this is Syed Saddiq's party, this is our mission and vision, they are more open to receive us,” Lim said.
However, the willingness of some young voters to turn away from BN should by no means lead to an underestimation of the coalition as a majority of young voters still supported them in 2018, albeit by a lower margin compared to their elders.
In the polling district of Felda Tenang, for example, around 64 percent of younger voters supported BN. In contrast, almost 84 percent of older voters went for BN, based on stream data from the 2018 general election.
Following the implementation of automatic voter registration and the lowering of the voting age from 21 to 18, there has been an explosion of new voters, many of whom are young.
With the new voters, the electorate in Tenang is expected to climb from 18,067 to 22,645, a 25 percent increase.
Pandemic fears
But the fact many youths did not previously bother to register as voters suggests they could be less motivated to vote despite the significant sway they can have.
An example is 26-year-old Muhammad Arif Munir, a third-generation Felda settler who did not vote in the last general election and is unlikely to vote in the current election. His parents are BN supporters.
“I don’t know who to vote for, I don’t feel the interest... voting anyone is the same, there’s no benefit,” he said, adding that he was also concerned about the Covid-19 pandemic.
In the 2018 general election, Bersatu won Tenang by 1,070 votes while it was part of the Harapan coalition.
However, the political configuration has changed significantly since then, with Bersatu now leading its own coalition under the PN banner.
Meanwhile, Harapan won’t be contesting the seat in this election and has instead delegated the seat to Muda.
The semi-rural seat comprises around 50 percent Malays, 38 percent Chinese and 11 percent Indians.
Campaigning for the Johor polls kicked off on Feb 26. Johoreans will go to the polls on March 12. - Mkini
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