STATE POLLS | Former Kedah menteri besar Mahdzir Khalid contested Pedu twice in 2004 and 2008 and won both times.
Now, 15 years after he was last elected to the seat, he is attempting to wrest the formerly Umno seat back from PAS.
If he wins the seat, and Pakatan Harapan and BN win Kedah, it has been speculated that the Umno vice-president might be the coalition’s candidate for menteri besar.
However, Mahdzir’s run for a third term in Pedu is at risk of ending in a repeat of his 15th general election misfortune when he lost his Padang Terap parliamentary seat to Perikatan Nasional.
Pedu voters who Malaysiakini met were familiar enough with Mahdzir - often referring to him by his nickname Tok Det - and generally viewed him favourably.
One voter, Abdul Wahab - who has been supporting BN since he was 18 years old - said Mahdzir had done much for the local community.
“He has helped so much in economic aspects, development and education. He even helps the community, so I urge everyone to support Tok Det.
“I especially hope that the youth vote for BN to raise Tok Det, because he has given so much here. I have been a member (of the party) since (Dr) Mahathir’s (Mohamad) time, and even with the changes in the prime minister, I have never defected,” said the now 71-year-old.
Another voter who spoke favourably of Mahdzir was housewife Munah Din.
“I know (Mahdzir), I haven't met him in a while but used to back then. He’s good when it comes to the rakyat, he helps those who are in need.
“He’s not full of himself. I’ve known him for a long time now. He's really good,” she said.
However, despite her fondness for Mahdzir and not being familiar with the PN incumbent, the 75-year-old housewife said her vote would still go to PN.
“I won’t be voting for Mahdzir because of the people around him that I’m not familiar with. We don’t want them.
“I voted for Harapan once (in 2018) because I felt like I needed a change. It was when Mahathir (was in it) and I voted for BN prior to that," she said.
Munah further explained that she would not vote for BN due to dissatisfaction with coalition chairperson Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, whom she labelled “power hungry”.
Munah was not alone in her views.
Shifting votes
Mahdzir’s opponent in Pedu, PAS’ Mohd Radzi Md Amin, won the seat in 2018 with a slim majority of 670 votes and just 43.1 percent of the ballot in a three-cornered fight.
However, during GE15, the percentage of Pedu voters who sided with PAS and PN at the Parliament level grew last year to 54 percent - while BN had just 40 percent of votes, and Harapan six percent.
But BN supporters swinging to PN is not Mahdzir’s only problem in Pedu.
He also has to contend with BN supporters who simply don’t feel like voting anymore.
This includes an odd worker who only wanted to be known as Hashim, who also cited dissatisfaction with Zahid, who is the Umno president.
“I used to be a staunch Umno supporter, and I’m still a member so I won’t go out to vote. If I have to vote, I will have to cross Umno which is why I won’t vote.
“I have not ‘kalih’ (turned away) from Umno, but I hate it.
“(But) if I wanted to cross PN (in the vote ballot) I am unable to because I am an Umno man and a member for over 30 years,” said the 54-year-old.
Hashim said he voted for BN in GE14 but was unhappy with the outcome - resulting in his refusal to vote last year.
This includes those he supported climbing up the ranks but allegedly making themselves scarce when the community needs them - such as when there is a death in the village - only to reappear when those with money come around.
Hashim said that while both Mahdzir and Radzi were local to the area, the former had a habit of being out of town whereas the latter was always around.
“If I went out to vote, BN would win. To me, let PAS win.
“I have six children that can vote. I used to get them to come back and vote because I was afraid BN would lose. But they are all not voting now,” he said.
“I don’t like PAS. I am an Umno man, but my heart has changed.”
Disappointed grassroots members
Several other Umno grassroots members shared Hashim’s views, acknowledging that it was a protest of sorts against Zahid.
“I’m disappointed. The (BN-Harapan) cooperation was planned. Prior to GE15, it was always ‘No Anwar, no DAP’. And we saw Zahid face these court charges.” said one Umno member who declined to be named.
“And when (BN and Umno got into power at the federal level) he fired the people who showed potential, like Shahidan Kassim, Annuar Musa, and Noh Omar.
“These are the people that go against him and if they were fielded, they would’ve won. But they would’ve been against forming a government (with Harapan),” he added.
Another two grassroots members said they were unsure if they would go out to vote come polling day on Aug 12.
“We love Umno, but because of Zahid... I also don’t want to vote for PN. We are committee members,” said one.
“How can we protest? We can only do it by (not) voting.”
Another clarified that they were not against Mahdzir, but to vote for him would be to “strengthen” Umno which was not a fate they were willing to give.
Mahdzir: It’s PN’s narrative
When Malaysiakini caught up with Mahdzir, the Kedah BN chief dismissed the voters’ complaints.
He said it was a narrative being played by PN to influence Umno members, and that even if there were Umno members who were upset, there was still time for him to win them over.
Mahdzir was also convinced that ground sentiment in the first leg of campaigning indicated there was not much of a PN ‘wave’ in the constituency.
“In GE15, baseline support for parties remained. But there was a wave of fence sitters that shifted to PN, including the youth.
“There was still a baseline, but there was also a wave. PN and Bersatu are now trying to bring the wave back but there we have had nine months of the government,” he said.
One voter who is not yet convinced by the Harapan-BN coalition is a trader who only identified himself as Nizam.
Speaking to Malaysiakini, the trader said that he had switched to PN to “give them a chance” in helping raise the economy - but would be keeping an open mind.
“The cost of living was unstable even with Umno. In the past 10 years, I’ve shifted my support (to PN). I too feel like not voting, but I will.
“But if the cost (of goods) improves I may shift (my support) back. As of now I just want a chance in government, we have given BN and Harapan a chance,” he said. - Mkini
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