PAKATAN Harapan’s by-election candidate, Anwar Ibrahim, last night took his campaign out of the town centre, meeting voters living 15km from Port Dickson’s famous beach area.

Kg Tanah Merah is 30 minutes from the main town. The road leading into the village is lined with dim street lamps, with a quarter of the stretch in darkness.

Anwar, who arrived at 10.30pm, was greeted by a traditional Chinese lion dance and firecrackers. Some 200 people showed up, most of them from the Chinese community.

The prime minister-in-waiting urged voters to come out and cast their ballots on October 13, and give him a huge majority.

“If I win by only 230 votes, I would be embarrassed. People would ask, is this the person you want to lead the country?

“The problem now is, voter turnout is low. We urge voters living outside Port Dickson to come back,” he said at the ceramah, adding that the matter should not be taken lightly.

Anwar has promised, among others, to develop tourism in Port Dickson – but locals have their own demands.

G. Kandasamy said while he agrees that tourism in the parliamentary constituency should get a shot in the arm, the PKR president-elect should also take seriously locals’ welfare.

He said Kg Tanah Merah is secluded, and buses do not ply the route, making it difficult for villagers to travel.

“I would prefer it if he (Anwar) helps those in need, such as providing tuition centres, because it is difficult for us to send our children to tuition classes in nearby areas,” he told The Malaysian Insight.

The 45-year-old said he also hopes for a raise in wages for estate workers once Anwar becomes prime minister.

Wong Yoon Chuan, 51, said Anwar should develop big factories in Port Dickson, so as to create more jobs for locals.

“We do have factories now, but not a lot of them.”

He said the development promised by Anwar should attract foreign tourists as well, as Port Dickson has great beaches.

“Now, the beaches in PD only attract local tourists. Therefore, his task should include improving tourism to attract non-locals, too.”

Kg Tanah Merah is located in the Chuah state constituency. It has 12,083 voters, comprising 56% Chinese, Indians (23%) and Malays (21%).

The Port Dickson seat fell vacant after Danyal Balagopal Abdullah, of PKR, quit as MP to make way for Anwar, who is attempting a Parliament comeback.

This is in line with PH’s plan to have him take over from Dr Mahathir Mohamad as prime minister.

In the 14th general election, Danyal got 36,225 votes, defeating Barisan Nasional’s Mogan Velayatham and Mahfuz Roslan of PAS, who received 18,515 and 6,594 votes, respectively.

Anwar told the crowd last night that he will ensure a “proper structure plan” for Port Dickson if he wins the by-election.

He said he will clean up the beach area, and see to it that locals, too, get to enjoy the beaches where high-end hotels and resorts are located.

Peppering his speech with Mandarin phrases, Anwar was cheered on by the crowd.

Lim Choon Seng said Port Dickson has not attracted foreign tourists in years, but he has faith that Anwar will turn the constituency into an international attraction.

“The structure plan will work. We have faith in him. If we didn’t, we would not have come out tonight.”

The 60-year-old is confident that Anwar will win with a big majority, saying the other candidates pose no threat.

He said the fact that Anwar is set to be the next prime minister earns him Port Dickson folk’s trust.

A local, who wanted to be known only as Ganesan, said he hopes Anwar brings major development to Port Dickson.

“He can do it because he has experience in politics,” said the 33-year-old.

He said should Anwar win, it would not be an issue if he has to settle matters at the federal level before visiting the constituency as the leader is fair to the people.

Anwar is in a seven-way battle for the seat. He is up against five independent candidates – Mohd Saiful Bukhari Azlan, Isa Samad, Lau Seck Yan, Stevie Chan and Kan Chee Yuen – and air force veteran Mohd Nazari Mokhtar of PAS. – October 5, 2018.