STATE POLLS | Nestled amidst breathtaking scenery and tucked away in the southern part of Kedah lies the small towns of Sidam and Lunas.
The neighbouring constituencies, which are lined with paddy fields and surrounded by oil palm plantations, have a long history of voting in PKR since 2008.
However, the party’s hold on these two seats came to an end in 2020 when its incumbents Azman Nasrudin and Dr Robert Ling both made the jump to Bersatu, following the infamous “Sheraton Move”.
Both incumbents are not defending their seats in the state polls, but PKR is determined to win Sidam and Lunas back.
However, their ardent quest may only see them capturing one of them.
Of the two seats, PKR stands the best chance in Sidam, where PKR’s Bau Wong Bau Ek is contesting in a straight fight against Perikatan Nasional’s (PN) Juliana Abdul Ghani.
Speaking to Malaysiakini, Bau Wong expressed optimism that PKR has garnered over 50 percent of the overall votes.
“I’m confident in regaining Sidam for PKR after its incumbent (Ling) jumped party. The seat went to PN, so now we have to snatch the seat back,” he said.
As for the remaining seven days of the campaign, Bau Wong revealed that he will be going all-out to engage with more Malay voters through TikTok and Zoom meetings.
For an elderly Sidam voter who only wants to be known as Uncle Wong, PN has yet to make any positive move in bolstering the state’s economy.
“(Caretaker Kedah menteri besar Muhammad) Sanusi (Md Nor) has done nothing. All PAS has done is control people’s lives.
“This is not only about banning gambling (in the state) but also about them wanting to control the leisure activities of the non-Muslims.
“The Chinese community needs a good economy and a good business environment to survive but with such control, it would be difficult for us,” the 70-year-old electrician told Malaysiakini.
Drawing from experience living under PN’s administration for the past three years, Uncle Wong said the Chinese have little choice but to vote for Pakatan Harapan.
“The Chinese here don’t have a choice. We won’t vote for PAS or PN.
“Although Bau Wong is of Siamese descent, we will vote for him. We are afraid that Kedah will become like Kelantan or Terengganu, a conservative ‘Islamist state’,” he claimed.
Kua Lee Huat, owner of a sports equipment shop bemoaned that PN is all talk, saying the coalition does not have what it takes to improve the state’s economy and reduce the rising cost of living.
“PN does not have the talents for it, they just don’t.
“Just look at the talks about the Kulim International Airport. Sanusi has harped on it for years but Kedah has yet to receive the approval to build it.
“I have a piece of land in the area. The state government has been saying for the longest time that they will develop the area. Nothing has happened yet,” the 63-year-old sighed.
Feeling betrayed
Meanwhile, the Indian community in Scarboro divulged that the feeling of betrayal due to Ling’s defection to PKR still lingered, even though three years have passed.
Madhaven Letchumanan did not mince his words when he called Ling out for his “stupid business”.
“We voted for him. We feel very sad because we voted for him in GE14, for him to help the people.
“But it is evident that he only has his personal interests at heart. We hate party-hoppers,” he told Malaysiakini.
The 52-year-old caterer was adamant that his choice on polling day would be Harapan’s Bau Wong.
He also hoped that Harapan and BN would be able to capture Kedah so that the state and federal governments can be in sync for the people’s benefit.
Like Madhaven, Yathavan Subramaniam did not hesitate to utter Bau Wong’s name when asked who he will be voting for come polling day.
“It would be Bau Wong, of course! He has been working the ground for years now.
“He is always around to help the people. I’m sure he will continue helping the people even when he’s the state assemblyperson,” said the 43-year-old mechanic.
Similar sentiments were not shared by the 10 Malay voters in Sidam that Malaysiakini met.
Cakoi seller Zulkafali Atan said PN’s Juliana has been working her ground in the constituency for a while now and is always seen in Puteri Jaya, helping roadside vendors who were in a bind.
“I’m more comfortable voting for a candidate whom I have seen helping the people and that’s Juliana.
“At the end of the day, we want a representative who knows the people’s woes and is willing to help,” the 46-year-old said.
Meanwhile, a nasi ayam berempah seller who only wants to be known as Mak Njang, 43, was certain that her vote will go to PN after lamenting that (Prime Minister) Anwar (Ibrahim) has yet to tackle the rising cost of living and hike in prices of raw materials.
“My hope for the new state assemblyperson is for her to reduce the prices of goods.
“We don’t get to profit much since the ingredients are so expensive these days. Please help the businesses and reduce the price of rice, chicken, flour, and sugar.”
While the responses from Malaysiakini’s straw poll suggest a racial divide, there is more than meets the eye.
Both Sidam and Lunas have a similar voting demographic, where the ratio of Malay and non-Malay voters is almost 50:50.
However, both constituencies voted very differently last year.
In Sidam - which is part of the Sungai Petani parliamentary seat - 51 percent of voters cast their ballots for Harapan, 16 percent for BN, and 33 percent for PN.
Meanwhile, in Lunas - which is part of the Padang Serai parliamentary seat - 49 percent of voters cast their ballots for PN, 48 percent for Harapan, and three percent for BN.
The Padang Serai election was held almost three weeks after GE15 - having been postponed after the original Harapan candidate, M Karupaiya died.
The election was also held after Harapan and BN had joined forces to form the federal government, but not before the two decided to work together for the polls.
The upcoming contest for Lunas is the most “crowded” in the northern state, with five candidates joining the race.
PN’s Khairul Anuar Ramli will be going against Harapan’s Shamsul Anuar Abdullah and three other independent candidates.
With five candidates and almost equal levels of support for both Harapan-BN and PN, the contest for Lunas could go down to the wire and may be determined by factors such as turnout rates and sentiment of new voters registered after GE15 and any swing in support.
Sanusi’s ‘charm’
For PN, one big factor going for them in Lunas is a strong presence by PAS and Bersatu.
For Nur Shahida Mohd Sabri, voting for PN is a family affair.
“During GE15, I voted for PN. My parents also voted for PN. So this time around I will cast a vote for PN, too,” the 24-year-old told Malaysiakini.
Another youth voter, Siti Maisarah Abdul, 23, also said that her vote was highly influenced by their family and friends who are supporters of PN.
“I don’t know much about politics but my vote is for PN. I see most of the people in my area carrying PN flags, so I will follow them,” said Siti, who is a shopkeeper.
Meanwhile, another factor driving support for PN is Sanusi’s popularity.
When met at a stall, Md Yusni Md Razli, 48, made it known that he idolises Sanusi, saying the latter is brave to speak out.
Making a comparison between Anwar and Sanusi, Yusni, who is a roadside vendor, said he’d prefer the latter as the Kedah PN chief grew up in a hardcore poor family and understands the people’s struggles.
“Some may say that Sanusi is loqlaq (acting crazy) but he’s not, that’s how Kedahans speak. I will vote for the PN candidate because of him.
“What does Anwar know? He’s been the prime minister for eight months but what has he done for the people? The prices of goods and the cost of living keep rising.
“If I were to increase the price of the drinks I sell at my stall, I’d lose customers. It’s putting a lot of pressure on us vendors,” he said.
Yusni’s son, Mohd Zulhisham, was quick to chime in, giving Sanusi an “A+” rating for being the “people’s leader”.
“When there was a flood in the area, Sanusi and PN leaders came to see the people. Where were politicians from the other parties?”
As long as PAS is on the right path in defending Islam, Zulhisham stressed that both he and his father will remain steadfast with the party and any candidates fielded to represent PN.
“No matter the name or who the candidate is, I will still vote for PN.
“We don’t want politicians who don’t walk the talk,” said the 26-year-old.
Another voter who is casting his ballot for PN because of Sanusi is Rosli Abdul.
The goat farmer held the caretaker menteri besar in such high regard that he was willing to overlook his disappointment with PN’s Lunas candidate Khairul Anuar Ramli over a video of him shoving a person away.
“That is not how a leader should behave. We want a leader who is sincere and not arrogant. I want to vote for a candidate who is not problematic.
“But because of the immense respect I have for Sanusi, I have no choice but to vote for Khairul,” the 47-year-old goat farmer said.
Khairul has since claimed that the video was from three years ago and that he had shoved the man for insulting behaviour.
He said he had been charged and cleared of the matter in court - and now plans to sue several individuals and media publications over the viral video.
While support for PN might appear solid, Harapan candidate Shamsul expressed confidence about his chances.
“Based on our observations right now, we are still able to secure 20 percent of the Malay votes, on top of the votes from the Chinese community. It would depend on what would transpire in the next few days,” he told Malaysiakini.
However, he said he will not let his guard down and will continue to appeal to Malay voters.
Shamsul said he would also be paying extra attention in strategising to win over Indian voters in Lunas, due to concerns that the community might split their vote between PKR and the three Indian independents.
Kedah goes to the polls on Aug 12. - Mkini
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