Love for Khairy, hatred of BN cause indecision in Sungai Buloh

 

BN’s Khairy Jamaluddin is seeking to wrest the Sungai Buloh seat from Pakatan Harapan. (Facebook pic)

SUNGAI BULOH: With just about a week to go before GE15, some voters in Sungai Buloh who don’t like Barisan Nasional appear to be in a dilemma because they are fans of BN candidate Khairy Jamaluddin.

One voter, Mohd Zaidi, 33, said Khairy had the potential to win as he’s a celebrity of sorts and that he would consider voting for him.

“But we don’t like his leader,” he told FMT in reference to Umno president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi. “If Zahid gets more vocal as polling day approaches, I may not vote for Khairy.

Zaidi said some voters would hold on to Khairy’s words that a vote for him would be a vote for Ismail Sabri Yaakob to continue as prime minister. He said voters would feel betrayed if BN won and someone else was appointed prime minister.

Another local, Radzee Abd Latif, said Pakatan Harapan’s choice for Sungai Buloh, R Ramanan, made it hard for him to decide whom to vote for.

“I don’t know Ramanan,” said the 42-year-old driver. “At least if it was R Sivarasa, he has an excellent track record here and the choice would be clear. But now I don’t know.”

Radzee said he believed having Khairy as his MP would benefit Sungai Buloh but he is conflicted about voting for BN. So he would wait till the end of campaigning to make up his mind.

Fezry Ayub, 34, said he would support Khairy as he saw the caretaker health minister as prime minister material.

“I believe him when he said he would back Ismail as prime minister,” he said. “But to be honest, I would prefer if Khairy held the top post. He’s young and has an abundance of experience in politics and that’s why I support him.”

Another voter who identified himself only as Ramesh said he could accept Khairy but not BN.

“His track record is good,” said the 42-year-old engineer. “I still believe PH has a strong chance to win, but it will be a tough fight since Khairy is in the picture.

He said Ramanan needed more public exposure to attract voters.

Sungai Buloh has been a PKR stronghold since Sivarasa won the seat in 2008. He successfully defended it in the 2013 and 2018 elections.

The other candidates in the Sungai Buloh race are Ghazali Hamin (Perikatan Nasional), Akmal Yusoff (Pejuang), Ahmad Jufliz Faiza (Parti Rakyat Malaysia) and two independent candidates, Nurhaslinda Basri and Syed Abdul Razak Long Alsagoff. - FMT