Battle of Tambun - Goliath tipped to crush David

 

GE15 | For the past two weeks, the town of Tambun in Perak has become one of the focal points of the nation. It is the site for a battle of epic proportions where terms like “giant killer” and “Godzilla” have echoed.

Pakatan Harapan chairperson Anwar Ibrahim (above, right) has picked this seat as his launchpad to propel him into the prime minister’s office if the coalition wins the general election.

Standing in his path are three opponents, including incumbent Ahmad Faizal Azumu of Perikatan Nasional (PN). The other two, who have been relegated to the sidelines, are BN’s Aminuddin Hanafiah and Gerakan Tanah Air’s Abdul Rahim Tahir.

Some have likened Faizal (above, left), once part of Harapan himself, to the perceived underdog David, in the biblical battle against the giant Goliath.

However, Malaysiakini’s observation found that the people of Tambun might be rooting for the giant instead of the local hero.

MB - chink in Peja’s armour

Some believe that “Tambun boy” Peja (Faizal’s nickname among locals) has the upper hand because he was a former menteri besar of Perak.

However, this might be a "sword of Damocles".

Sentiment on the ground indicates that the Perak PN chief only has a slim chance of being re-elected.

Other than his stint as menteri besar lasting a mere 28 months before being shown the exit, nothing much is known about Faizal’s contributions or strategies for Perak.

Former Perak menteri besar Ahmad Faizal Azumu

Voters, when met, complained about the lack of development in semi-rural areas, particularly Manjoi.

There are also farmers embroiled in a longstanding land issue in the state and are hoping Anwar would be able to resolve it.

Anwar and his allies have leveraged Faizal’s gaps in servicing the locals based on his short track record as menteri besar and the voters have embraced this narrative.

Responses gathered from farmers in Kanthan revealed a similar sentiment – Anwar must emerge victorious in Tambun - with some claiming he has almost 90 percent of their votes.

‘PM from Tambun’

While Peja and PN busied themselves lobbing “political ordnance” at Anwar and ridiculed him for being an outsider parachuted into the seat, the label had little if no impact as far as voters are concerned.

Voters appear to be seduced by the prospect of having a potential prime minister as their MP.

Even heavyweights from PN, Muhyiddin Yassin and Azmin Ali, as well as from BN, caretaker Ismail Sabri Yaakob, who descended on Tambun to knockout Anwar’s political career have failed in bruising his chances.

With the tagline “prime minister from Tambun” on the locals’ lips, the Harapan chairperson looks set to romp home victorious tomorrow.

Painting the picture of capturing Perak and forming the “Harapan corridor of hope” along with Penang, Selangor, and Negeri Sembilan, Anwar has promised to bring prosperity to the silver state.

Billboard of Pakatan Harapan’s candidate for Tambun Anwar Ibrahim

During the Port Dickson by-election in 2018, Anwar hinted the constituency would benefit greatly should he be elected as the MP. He went on to win the seat with a 23,506 vote majority in a seven-way tussle.

Victory lies with Malay voters

It was previously reported that the Indian community would be kingmakers in Tambun but this role has shifted to the Malay voters.

In the new electoral roll, there are 160,558 voters in the constituency where 66 percent are Malays, Chinese (20.5 percent), Indians (12.1 percent) and others (1.4 percent).

The Malay votes would likely be split among the three main coalitions, with each potentially garnering a third.

When it comes to winning over the hearts and minds of Malay voters, Anwar is always forced to address the “elephant in the room” - DAP.

So, during his ceramah sessions, he assures them that DAP does not control Harapan and that such claims are lies peddled by his political rivals.

If Harapan succeeds in convincing at least 10 percent of BN voters, resulting in garnering 40 percent of the overall Malay votes, Anwar would be able to clinch Tambun with a formidable margin.

Universiti Malaya political analyst Prof Awang Azman Awang Pawi concurred, saying Anwar could easily defeat Faizal with a minimum 5,000 vote majority.

“With Anwar’s machinery and ‘prime minister from Tambun’ campaign, I foresee that he can obtain the same majority as what Peja received before, that is over 5,000 votes.

“If Anwar obtains at least 40 percent of Malay votes along with 80 percent of Chinese votes, that is a significant majority. And that is before we include votes from the Indian community,” he told Malaysiakini.

In the 2018 general election, Faizal ended BN’s seven-term reign in Tambun, defeating Ahmad Husni Hanadziah (BN) and Muhamad Zulkifli Mohamad Zakaria (PAS).- Mkini