OPINIONS are split on whether Barisan Nasional (BN) candidate Ramli Mohd Nor will have a significant impact on the outcome of the Cameron Highlands by-election, but most agree the Orang Asli is likely to get the vote of his community.

Ramli is a former assistant police commissioner and highest ranking Orang Asli police officer ever. He also has an impressive educational background including as a PhD candidate in business studies.

BN’s decision to field him is aim at securing the votes of the Orang Asli, who make up 22% of the voters in Cameron Highlands and who are increasingly looking to be the kingmakers in the coming poll.

The Cameron Highlands by-election campaigning period, which starts tomorrow with the announcement of the nominations, will also see Pakatan Harapan’s M. Manogaran vying for the parliamentary seat which he failed to secure in the May 9 general election.

BN has held the seat without interruption for 60 years.  

“The contest is 50-50 between Pakatan Harapan and BN. If (BN) does not field an Orang Asli candidate, Pakatan will have a landslide victory,” said sundry shop owner Arunasalam, 65.

Sanjay, 25, is convinced the BN stronghold will finally fall to PH as the Orang Asli community are now aware of the misconduct of the previous ruling regime and are ready for change.

“In the past elections, they knew that BN would go to their village, give them a bit of food and a few hundred ringgit, and ask for their votes.

 “However, now, they know that BN cannot give them the support they are looking for. There may be a certain percentage of the Orang Asli who will vote for BN but a lot of them will buck the trend,” he said.

“Manogaran has been around for more than 10 years; he was the candidate in the past elections and  everyone knows him well, especially for helping out some Orang Asli villages,” said Sanjay.

Retiree Tony Ng said anyone who hopes to win the by-election will need to be ready to address issues such as housing costs, landowner rights for farmers, and traffic congestion due to the one-way streets in Cameron Highlands.

“There are housing problems, those who are born here, until today they cannot afford to buy a house,” he said.

“You may see houses being built here but they are very expensive. The prices are beyond what the locals can afford.”

Ng said that apart from losing the support of a large portion of the Orang Asli to Ramli, PH is also placed at a disadvantage by its candidate Manogaran, who is disliked by many locals who say he has been absent from Cameron Highlands after failing to win the seat ilast year.

“When the PH candidate loses the last election, he disappears, but when election comes around he pops up again.”

“We do not want a leader like that; we want a leader who continues to serve and show continuous interest in the people here.”

Voting is on January 26 and early voting set on January 22.

The constituency has 32,009 registered voters, comprising  31,750 ordinary voters, 247 early voters and 12 absentee voters.

Cameron Highlands voters are 34% Malay, 30% Chinese, 15% Indian and 22% Orang Asli. – January 11, 2019.