GE15 | In the northern hinterlands of Perak lies Larut, a large rural constituency famous for its orchards and farms.
It is also the home base of Hamzah Zainudin, 65, a former corporate figure-turned-politician known for his role in organising the defection of 11 MPs from Umno in late 2018.
Subsequently, his political fortunes improved. Two prime ministers entrusted him with the powerful home affairs cabinet portfolio. He is also the secretary-general of Perikatan Nasional (PN), led by former prime minister Muhyiddin Yassin.
As his political status on the national stage continues to evolve, so do his tactics in Larut, a seat that he won with an Umno ticket for three terms since 2008.
However, without Umno's machinery behind him, unlike in the previous elections, Hamzah is now banking on PAS, which is part of the PN coalition.
The PN machinery, which appears to be well-funded, is fuelled by PAS grassroots with decades-long experience working on the ground.
Based on Malaysiakini’s observation, the scale of the campaign and the resources invested suggest that Hamzah, whose rivals from Umno and Pakatan Harapan brand him as a traitor, cannot be defeated.
From Batu Kurau up north to Selama, PN flags, banners and booths dominate the landscape.
Giant billboards of Hamzah have also been erected in most areas while A3-sized posters of BN candidate Shafiq Fhadly Mahmud only appeared a week after the nomination.
Their respective entourages also attest to Hamzah’s influence.
‘He knows everyone, he can unite everyone’
On Monday, Malaysiakini observed that the caretaker home minister had some 25 people with him when he visited several villages in Rantau Panjang, Selama, with a police escort.
He was also accompanied by the incumbent Selama assemblyperson Mohd Akmal Kamarudin, who is from PAS.
In the afternoon, the team visited Larut PAS division founder Md Noor Yahaya’s residence for prayers, following which, two local students staged a silat performance for the guests.
Met on the sidelines of Hamzah’s campaign, Anis Rifhan Rosli, 27, said the minister has a close bond with the locals.
“The way he communicates with people is impressive. He literally knows everyone here, including their names and where they stay. He has the ability to unite everyone here,” said the Perdana Fellow under the Home Ministry,
On the other hand, the BN campaign team is somewhat low-key and no big names from the coalition have turned up.
One possible reason for this is that Shafiq was “parachuted” as a candidate at the eleventh hour after popular Muslim preacher Mohd Kazim Elias pulled out.
Last Friday, Shafiq and his team went on an afternoon walkabout at Pekan Batu Kurau but there was little enthusiasm among the locals.
One woman, who wished to remain anonymous, said she is unsure whether to continue supporting Umno or to vote for Hamzah, who is now with Bersatu.
“He (Shafiq) is still young, So we don’t know about his potential,” she said.
Expressing a similar predicament, a vegetable seller, who also requested anonymity, said: “I know all of them. It is very hard for me to choose. But Hamzah has more followers here. PN supporters are more than BN now,” she added.
For grocery shop owner Mohd Zaidi Desa, the PN candidate is relying on PAS supporters to see him through in this election.
“Hamzah himself does not have many followers because not many here joined Bersatu. He is banking on PAS and because he has a lot of money, he is being generous,” he said.
However, the 52-year-old PKR member acknowledged that the minister possessed an edge against his rivals.
BN supporter Azami Abd Hamid claimed that the flags and banners do not reflect PN’s strength in Larut.
“Hamzah paid for the flags and banners,” he said.
PAS-Bersatu chemistry makes us stronger
In an interview with Malaysiakini, the outgoing home minister admitted that the number of Bersatu members is far less compared to PAS since Bersatu is still a new party.
“So you do not have to compare like this. Most important is that the chemistry between PAS and Bersatu can make us stronger,” he said.
“When I go to the ground I can see that people want to be with PN. All the PN district polling centres (PDM) were set up by the people voluntarily,” he added.
Hamzah also claimed that the majority of Malays have decided to reject BN because of Umno president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi.
Northern Perak is known for its strong Islamic influence. For example, Hizbul Muslimin, the now defunct first Islamist political party was set up after the first Pan-Malayan Islamic conference held at Gunung Semanggol in 1947.
The majority of the Malays in this area are of Pattani lineage, who also have a strong Islamic tradition.
In the last general election, PAS managed to win three state seats in Perak. Two of the seats, Selama and Kubu Gajah, are under Larut.
Although PAS won the seats for the first time with slim majorities, the outcome revealed the party’s strength as it contested in the last election on its own.
This time, the two incumbent state assemblypersons, Mohd Akmal Kamarudin (Selama) and Khalil Yahaya (Kubu Gajah) would be defending their seats under the PN ticket.
PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang, who toured north Perak last weekend, was one of the speakers at Larut PN’s mega ceramah and when the event ended, supporters mobbed him with chants of “Allahu Akbar”.
According to the Election Commission, there are a total of 65,719 voters in Larut and they consist of 90.3 percent Malays, 5.5 percent Indians and 4.1 percent Chinese and other races. - Mkini
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