Langkawi voters more concerned about federal power

ALOR STAR: Will the voters in Langkawi stick to the tried and tested or will they buy into Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad's game plan for the 14th General Election (GE14)?
They seem more concerned about which side will win federal power than the state or Langkawi.

There are those who are unsure about Pakatan Harapan's (PH) ability to win Putrajaya. Most of them whom theSun talked to also expressed their doubts over the Opposition's ability to penetrate the Umno stronghold in Langkawi.
Rosli Mohammad ,40, said Umno has a formidable machinery and support from grassroots in the island. It would be quite difficult for the pact led by Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (PPBM) chairman Mahathir to gain ground during the national polls, he added.
"People have been voting Umno since his era. With the uncertainty surrounding his new party, people will have doubts over it. Frankly, for them to win the hearts of the people in Langkawi, it requires luck and hard work," he said.
Rosli, who work as a security guard at a hotel, said whoever wins the GE14 should have a better solution for the people to overcome the high cost of living and create job opportunities in Langkawi.
Mahathir is facing a three-cornered fight against incumbent Datuk Nawawi Ahmad from BN and Zubir Ahmad from PAS in Langkawi.
Another islander, who only wanted to be known as Mizi, said the fate of the people in the island will be left hanging if PH were to win only Kedah and not Putrajaya .
He recalled that Kedah was ruled by PAS in 2008 until 2013.
"Langkawi did not get anything from the state government or Putrajaya (then)," he said. "We were left sidelined for five years when PAS was the state government. They can't do anything for us as they were not federal government and had no allocation to assist the island."
He added that he would rather vote BN back in power as it looked solid and could win Putrajaya.
However Mizi said it would be a different story if PH could win Putrajaya but he believed the chances for PH to win over BN were slim.
"With all infighting and uncertainty within the opposition pact I don't see how it could beat BN", said the car rental operator.
Lecturer Husna Yusuf said she preferred status quo and believed BN, with its proven track record, could win.
The winners must fulfil their promises in their manifesto, she said and asked the next government to focus on the cost of living, rising prices of good and the well-being of the people.
Single mother K. Meeaya (pix), 55, would like to see PH win and form the next federal government with Mahathir as the seventh prime minister of Malaysia. She said the economy was a lot better during Mahathir's 22 years as prime minister.
"We could buy a lot of groceries with RM50, but now the same amount of money hardly gets you anything," said the mother of four.
Langkawi has 42,697 voters, with Malays forming the vast majority of the electorate.