THERE’S a new government in Putrajaya but Kelantan folk who have been under PAS rule for the last 28 years are wary as to what good a new federal power would bring them.

Decades of neglect by the federal government under Barisan Nasional have left many folk in one of the peninsula’s poorest states feeling jaded.

For them, it was enough that the Islamist PAS state government took care of their welfare and any shortcoming the fault of the federal government which has stunted the state’s oil industry.

A Kota Baru resident, who would only give his name as Rohani, blamed Putrajaya for denying Kelantan access to its own petroleum resources that could boost economic development in the state and stop its youth from seeking jobs elsewhere.

“If oil was processed here, there would be many more jobs. But the federal government lets the oil be processed in Kerteh, Terengganu, and Songkhla in Thailand,” the 47-year-old said, referring to oil exploration areas off the coast of Kelantan under the administration of the Malaysia-Thailand Joint Development Area (MTJDA).

“The federal government has treated Kelantan like a stepchild and then it wonders why we are so backward.”

Rohani said he did not care who ruled in Putrajaya as long as Kelantan was left to PAS.

“It’s hard to feel like we can expect anything from the federal government when they have ignored us for so long. At least for our welfare, the state government gives aid each month to the elderly and the very poor,” he added.

For some, this feeling of neglect turns into pious pride by equating “development” with the rise of social ills and erosion of moral values.

Gold broker Kak Dah said the rapid development in the urban centres of the country would only end up corrupting Kelantan’s youth.

“It is true that Kelantan on its own cannot develop without help from the federal government. But those of us who live here love the state government because we have no social problems.

“Elsewhere, people sell liquor widely, whereas here, it is not allowed. There’s not even a movie theatre. We don’t want that kind of development. Baby dumping, too much freedom (between the opposite sex)… We don’t want that,” Kak Dah said in Tumpat.

What’s next?

Kelantan is a stronghold for rural, traditional Islam and PAS has ruled the state since 1990. Political enmity between the Islamist party and Umno has kept Kelantan away from the mainstream of development. 

In the 14th general election, PAS retained control of Kelantan, winning 37 out of the 45 state seats and losing the remaining eight to Barisan Nasional. This was an improvement over its results in the 13th general election in 2014, when PAS won 32 state seats.

The areas that voted for BN in GE14, however, are outlying places in the interior and away from the town centres, such as the Kok Lanas, Gual Ipoh, Bukit Bunga, Air Lanas, Kuala Balah Nenggiri, Paloh and Galas state seats.

Constituents here desire more economic uplift and development and were hopeful in the past that the BN government could deliver. PAS support, meanwhile, is stronger in the suburban areas.

BN was able to build some strongholds in the southern part of the state, thanks to the South Kelantan Development Authority (Kesedar) established in the late 1970s.

Through the regional development body, Umno was able to penetrate and retain its support in places like Gua Musang and Jeli, which still voted for BN in the recent elections.

However, with BN ousted from federal power, entrepreneur Mohd Yusri Mohd Yusoff, 30, said he had to scratch his head and find new alternatives for his business.

The founder of NBK Express that supplies Kelantanese food to customers in other states said he had counted on the East Coast Rail Link (ECRL) to widen his market reach.

“The ECRL would have helped me expand my business. Now that it has been cancelled, I’ll have to find other ways to grow my business,” said the Pasir MAS resident.

Gua Musang resident Abdullah Yunus, 48, said he did not know what to expect from the new government.

The rubber tapper told The Malaysian Insight he was worried that Kelantan would continue to lag behind if no measures were taken boost rural incomes or to help rural dwellers find new skills or trades. Villagers who tap rubber earn just RM2.20 per kilo.

“We’re not afraid of things of things being expensive, what we’re afraid over the lack of jobs. We’re not upset if the prices of goods increase but it is our wages that need to increase also.

“The rest of the nation is progressing except for rubber tappers like us. We don’t know any other kind of work. There are a lot of jobs out there. But here, there are only rubber trees, and tapping rubber is all we can do.” – October 31, 2018.