PONTIAN: Nasi lemak seller Norhashima Ismail, 49, has always voted for Barisan Nasional (BN) while restaurateur Maznah Ibrahim, 57, never wavers in her support for Pakatan Harapan (PH).
The contrasting loyalty underscores the ground sentiment that among the Malay voters in Tanjung Piai, little has changed.
University of Tasmania’s Asia Institute director Prof James Chin said the vast majority of Malay voters are expected to vote for the same party they did in the general election on May 9, 2018.
That makes the Chinese voters, who comprise 37% of the electorate, the kingmaker when the two coalitions square off on Nov 16.
The Tanjung Piai by-election is a six-way fight. Apart from BN and PH, also in the fray are Gerakan and Berjasa as well as two independents, but they are not expected to get very far.
The by-election has been called following the death of its incumbent Datuk Dr Mohd Farid Md Rafik of Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia on Sept 21.
For Norhashima, who refers to herself as “Nenek” (grandmother), the fall of the previously undefeated BN last year came as a shock.
“I felt distraught. I could not process the fact that BN had lost power, not only in Johor, the birthplace of Umno, but at the federal level as well,” she said when met in Pontian recently.
But her support for BN remains strong. “It has a proven track record in helping the poor and the underprivileged.”
She claimed since PH took over power, business had slowed down and since the Goods and Services Tax was replaced, the daily operating costs of her business have risen by 20%.
Apart from nasi lemak, Norhashima sells other local dishes and drinks from her stall here. She has her daughter and son-in-law to help out.
She recalled meeting BN candidate Datuk Seri Dr Wee Jeck Seng, saying he was a popular figure among locals, thanks to his services in the past.
Wee, from MCA, served as Tanjung Piai MP from 2008 to 2018 and prior to that, he was Pekan Nanas assemblyman for one term.
Pekan Nanas and Kukup are the two state constituencies that make up the Tanjung Piai parliamentary constituency.
On the other hand, Maznah, who has been running her restaurant in Pekan Rembah for 10 years, said she is happy to cast her vote for PH again.
“I am related to a ‘high-ranking’ leader of Parti Amanah Negara but that is not the only reason I support PH.
“Farid had served the constituents well in his short tenure as MP.”
She said he would visit the constituency frequently and even used his own money to pay for what the people needed.
Chin said Malay votes were evenly split last year and so Farid had won largely on the support of the Chinese. He said about 80% of the Chinese voted for PH then.
“While the level of Chinese support for PH has waned, the drop is only about 20%,” he estimated.
So, the Chinese will still play a crucial role in deciding the outcome of the by-election.”
Chin said issues such as the sluggish economy and education could cost PH some Chinese votes. “They are not happy with how the government handles the Unified Examination Certificate and the Tunku Abdul Rahman University College issues.”
