FORMER Malacca chief minister Idris Haron is getting mixed reactions from the people in the Asahan constituency, where he is contesting in the state elections.

Idris was one of the four assemblymen who had pulled support for Chief Minister Sulaiman Md Ali, causing the fall of the Umno-led state government.

Following his sacking from Umno, Idris joined PKR.

While some voters have welcomed their local-born to stand again the elections, others are not happy with his move in toppling the state government.

School bus driver Muthu Raman, 55, said he will not vote for Idris because of his action that resulted in the collapse of the state government, and then defecting to PKR.

“I do not fancy someone who likes to jump from one party to another, as it causes chaos for everyone,” he said.

Muthu said he is not sure if Idris would defect to another party again after the polls.

“He has no loyalty, so I’m saying no to Idris,” he said.

He also said when the new assemblyman is elected, he hopes Kg Asahan will have an automated teller machine.

“We also hope to have a petrol station nearby as the present ones are about 20km away,” he added.

Idris is contesting on the Pakatan Harapan (PH) ticket in the elections.

On November 6, PH chairman Anwar Ibrahim said Idris has been accepted as a member of the coalition.

A former Umno supporter who wants to be identified as Amir said he will not support Idris because during his tenure as chief minister, he seldom visited his village.

He said the villagers were very proud when Idris was chief minister but were later disappointed because he hardly showed up in his hometown.

“When he was the chief minister, he had only visited this place a couple of times,” he said.

“He should have come and talked to the people here and asked about their well-being.

“Even during the movement-control order, he didn’t show up.”

He said Idris should not have joined PKR.

“If he were standing as an independent, he might have a better chance of winning,” he said.

“Now that he has jumped to another party, about 70% of the people are not happy with him.”

Voting for Pakatan, not candidate

Mathivanan Krishnan, 47, said he will vote for Idris not because he likes him but because of the party he represents.

“I would want to give the party at least five years to see what it can do,” said Mathivanan, who is unemployed.

“Throughout the years, BN has barely helped the Indians here even though there are about over 500 Indian voters in this small constituency.”

Lorry driver Rajan Muthusamy, 46, who is an Idris supporter, said when BN was the state government, it has never come down to the people. 

“We want someone who is can communicate with us easily,” he said.

“During elections, these people come here and ask for votes, but once they are over, they never show up.”

Trader Moh Er Ler, 50, said he will never vote for any other party except PH.

“When I see the Pakatan logo, that’s what I will vote for,” he said.

“I am not interested in who is contesting the Asahan seat. I just don’t want the dacing (BN logo).”

He said as long as there is a Pakatan symbol, he will come out to vote.

“Whether they (candidates) are immoral or not, I don’t care,” he said.

“I don’t expect anything. Until I die, I will support PH.

“I will definitely go out and vote.”

A man who wants to be identified as Leo, 67, said he is not sure who he will support as he does not know much about the candidates.

“I will choose a candidate who has done the most for the community,” he said.

“So, I will have to talk to my friends and find out more about the candidates.”

Wan Abdul Samsuri, 50, said he is still undecided on who to vote for.

“The previous assemblyman has not done much for us, that’s why I have to decide carefully before casting my vote.

“I have been requesting a van jenazah (van for ferrying the dead) for almost 10 years but there still hasn’t been one.

“My dad passed away earlier this year and we had to transport the body with a three-tonne lorry to the cemetery,” said Wan, who is a lorry driver.

On October 5, four assemblymen withdrew support for Sulaiman, which led to the dissolution of the state legislative assembly.

The four are Idris (Sg Udang), Nor Azman Hassan (Pantai Kundor), Noor Effandi Ahmad (Telok Mas) and Norhizam Hassan Baktee (Pengkalan Batu).

Polling for the state elections is on November 20 while early voting is on November 16. – November 14, 2021.