Big fight in Permatang Pauh

BUKIT MERTAJAM: Permatang Pauh is a parliamentary seat that has been synonymous with the Anwar Ibrahim family for more than 40 years, having been represented by the Prime Minister, his wife and his daughter.

But in a shock defeat during the 15th General Election, Permatang Pauh fell to PAS of the Perikatan Nasional coalition and the Opposition party is intent on sinking its roots in the constituency in the upcoming state election on Aug 12.

The parliamentary constituency has three state seats – Penanti, Seberang Jaya and Permatang Pasir – and the intense contest for them exemplifies the fight between the unity government of Pakatan Harapan and Barisan Nasional, and Perikatan for the Penang Malay heartland.

But residents of these three constituencies are more concerned with bread-and-butter issues than the feud between national political parties.

Zaim Mohd Zaini, who has been living in Penanti for over 30 years, said voters were more concerned about their basic needs and cost of living.

“We do not need big infrastructure developments as many local villagers here want to preserve their inherited land”, said the 43-year-old market trader.

“At present, we are not short of schools or access to basic necessities, but dealing with the rising cost of living can be tough. The spending power among the people here has declined and many are struggling to find employment,” he said.

Zaim said that if Perikatan continues its winning streak in the state polls, it is a signal to the federal unity government to buck up.

“Raw materials are pricier these days and this happened all over the world after the pandemic. But people like us need an income to match the increased burden,” he said.

Mobile phone shop owner Mohd Akram Ismail, 28, said many constituents here were impressed with the young, modern leaders of PAS, the party which captured Permatang Pauh.

“To the people here, the party is no longer considered ‘outdated’ and this area also used to be a PAS stronghold. I believe the coalition is able to give Pakatan a run for its money,” he said.

In GE15, Pakatan’s Nurul Izzah Anwar lost Permatang Pauh to Perikatan’s Muhammad Fawwaz Md Jan by a margin of 5,272 votes. In GE14, Nurul Izzah had won the seat by a 15,668-vote majority.

Retired factory worker Saffiyi Mohd Taib, 75, believed the rakyat would benefit by having the same coalition at both the federal and state levels.

“The government started just slightly over six months ago. Let’s give them a chance to prove themselves. If we have modern developments here, it will help retain talent,” said Saffiyi, who has been living in Penanti for over 40 years.

Penang Pakatan leader Datuk Muhammad Bakhtiar Wan Chik said the party was aware of the issues plaguing residents and will meet them soon.

“The current MP for Permatang Pauh is under-performing and we are confident of winning all three state seats,” he said.

Perikatan said it will continue its winning streak from GE15 and sweep all three seats.

Penang PAS deputy commissioner Mohd Yusni Mat Piah believes that another upset is on the cards due to support from first-time voters.

“The Election Commission’s data shows that Perikatan has the upper hand in winning over this group of voters. God willing, Perikatan will win close to 20 seats in Penang in the upcoming state polls,” said the former Penaga assemblyman.

Mohd Yusni expects Perikatan to do especially well in Penang’s 14 Malay-majority seats.

Perikatan sources said the coalition is thinking of fielding Muhammad Fawwaz in the Penanti state seat, which he lost in GE14.

He is expected to face either Dr Norlela Ariffin, PKR youth leader Fahmi Zainol, or Penang Wakaf chief executive officer Rosidi Hussain, all of whom are from Pakatan.

As for Seberang Jaya seat, it was declared vacant after Perikatan’s Dr Afif Bahardin was found to have broken Penang’s anti-hopping law.

Sources say that Dr Afif could be moved to contest for a seat in Selangor.

In GE15, Dr Afif, who was once a rising star in Penang PKR, contested the Shah Alam parliamentary seat but lost.

In Permatang Pasir, Pakatan’s Muhammad Faiz Fadzil of Amanah is likely to defend his seat. - Star