MAKE no mistake. If Batu independent candidate P. Prabakaran did not broker an alliance with Pakatan Harapan, he would have probably lost his deposit in the 14th general election (GE14).

This was the general assumption of Batu voters who turned up for Prabakaran’s first ceramah in Taman Datuk Senu, Sentul, last night.

They also quickly said they were there to support him only because he is representing the Pakatan Harapan opposition coalition.

“I’m here because a vote for P. Prabakaran is a vote for Pakatan Harapan. I don’t care if he is young, as long as it is Pakatan,” said Fatimah Mary S. Joseph, 41.

Some 1,500 people of Batu braved the rain to throw their support behind the 22-year-old law graduate who will go up against the might of the Barisan Nasional, Islamist party PAS and another independent candidate for the Batu parliamentary seat.

“The reason I am doing this (standing in the rain and supporting an unknown) is because I previously voted for BN and they did nothing for me, in fact they gave me more problems.

“My husband’s chairs at his food stall got confiscated many times by City Hall, and he has a legitimate licence. When we went to see our BN representative about it, he had no time for us,” Fatimah said, adding that PH has her vote.

Another voter, Chong Yin Foo said she did mind if Prabakaran won the Batu seat as former Batu lawmaker Chua Tian Chang had endorsed him.

“We trust in Tian Chua. He fought for us for two terms and we believe that his choice won’t be a mistake,” said Chong who lives in Sentul.

The 32-year-old who came with her mother said she, too, would “vote for the key”, as she needed a viable alternative since Chua will not be contesting. The key is Prabakaran’s logo.

“Prabakaran is a nice person, but he has much to learn, that is why I will vote for him as I believe PH can teach him how to be a good leader,” she said.

Nur Ain Farisha, 25, said her friends felt encouraged that PH had endorsed this young candidate to contest in GE14.

“Some of my friends are even here with me today, standing under the rain to show their support and when the bags were passed around for donations, we also gave what we could.

“We gave whatever little we had for the party to survive,” she said.

She added that Chua was her preferred candidate for GE14 but would have to vote for Prabakaran now.

“What to do? I would have preferred Tian Chua, he’s good, but I guess Prabakaran would have my vote,” she said.

Prabakaran is now in the limelight after two-term Batu MP Chua was disqualified from contesting in GE14 over a court fine of RM2,000.

Batu currently has 76,328 voters, 42.52% of whom are Malays, Chinese (38.28%) and Indians (17.46%). In the 2013 general election, Chua defended his seat by 13,284 votes.

Since Chua’s disqualification, the Batu seat will be a four-cornered fight between Barisan Nasional’s Dominic Lau Chai Hoe, Azhar Yahya (PAS) and independents V.M. Panjamothy and Prabakaran. – May 7, 2018.