The Malaysian Insight

CHINESE voters in Tg Piai want to teach Pakatan Harapan a lesson for not honouring its election promises.

Many The Malaysian Insight spoke to also complained about local issues ignored by the late Md Farid Md Rafik, who won the federal seat for PH in last year’s general election.

The Tg Piai by-election, to be held next month, comes at a time when there is disquiet among residents over national issues.

Chief among them are the controversial attempt to teach Jawi in vernacular schools and the abolition of the death penalty, to which many Chinese are opposed.

While the Education Ministry has gone to some length to meet the demands of those who oppose the teaching of Jawi to Year Four pupils in such schools, the issue continues to resonate among the community.

The Election Commission has set polling day for Tg Piai on November 16, a Saturday, with nomination on November 2. Early voting will be held on November 12.

Tg Piai has 53,528 voters, 57% of them Malays, Chinese (42%) and Indians (1%).

The seat, created in 2003, has traditionally been contested by Barisan Nasional’s MCA. The first winner was former MCA president Ong Ka Ting in the 2004 general election, with the party’s Wee Jeck Seng retaining the seat for the former ruling pact in the subsequent two elections.

Apart from PH’s Bersatu, which has confirmed that it will defend Tg Piai, Gerakan said it will contest after sitting out a series of by-elections following its departure from BN.

Gerakan president Dominic Lau said the decision was made after taking into account the grassroots’ requests. Deputy president Oh Tong Keong was appointed as the party’s by-election machinery director.

BN, meanwhile, has kept mum on whether it will field a candidate from Umno or MCA.

Tg Piai’s racial breakdown and Umno’s charter with PAS have led the BN lynchpin’s grassroots to demand that their party vie for the seat, while MCA said it should contest in the interest of BN solidarity.

Riding on the anti-BN sentiment in the polls last year, Farid snatched the seat from Wee by a slim margin of 524 votes.

Locals said they did not see much of Farid, who was also a deputy minister in the Prime Minister’s Department.

Pekan Barna village chief Phang Wee Kiew, 54, said the conditions now are unfavourable for PH.

“The complaint here is that the previous MP rarely visited the constituency. The residents do not understand how a deputy minister could have been so busy. Even if PH explains it to them, it will be difficult to change voters’ minds.

“It’s too late to make up for it.”

Although voters now said they are not supportive of BN, he said, they want to back Wee.

“Wee held the seat for two terms, and the villagers know him. If the candidate is not Wee, they might not vote, too.”

He said more than 80% of Chinese voters in Tg Piai voted PH in GE14.

DAP’s Yeo Tung Siong conceded that PH is at a disadvantage in the seat but said its local councillors are working to address residents’ issues.

He said they have been in talks with the Johor government on tackling traffic woes and building a new market in Pontian.

“We have been trying to build the northern part of the outer ring road to ease traffic, as well as upgrade the northern part of the city and the Pontian market.

“We have been working hard to develop infrastructure in the constituency for a year and a half. We hope to have good news for voters soon.”

He said the issues plaguing PH could lead to a drop in support of about 10% from the Chinese.

Pekan Nanas resident Lin, 26, said he voted for PH in the last elections because “the BN government was too corrupt”.

But 1½ years later, he is disappointed with the new administration as it lacks fresh ideas.

“We want to choose an MP who is better for Tg Piai. Frankly, after the last general election, I never saw the PH representative here.

“Wee lost the elections not because he was not doing well here. He lost because the majority wanted a change of government.

“We had hoped for a better life, but that has not happened. Prices have risen, and the economic pressures are intense.”

Tg Piai MCA Youth chief Heng Zhi Li said many of his friends voted for PH last year but now want BN to field Wee again.

“The voters in Tg Piai are restrained. They will not say who they want directly, but when MCA visited, many said they would vote for Wee.”

An overseas Chinese voter, who did not want to be named, said when DAP cooperated with PAS, he did not reject the former.

Even though Umno and PAS have formed an official pact, he said, it will not have much of an impact.

“I’m upset about the failure to deliver on promises, not improving the country’s economic problems, and cost-of-living issues.” – October 14, 2019.