PAKATAN Harapan choosing to hold a small ceramah in Jelai yesterday night over the mega affair it customarily stages after nomination is proof of how much the Malay and Orang Asli votes matter in the Cameron Highlands election race.

Instead of fielding an array of star speakers and ministers, at least five of which had attended nominations in Tanah Rata yesterday morning, PH kicked off its election campaign with a short session to introduce its candidate M. Manogaran to Sg Koyan.

Supported by less than a handful of local elected reps in DAP Syefura Othman (Ketari-Pahang), Edry Faisal Eddy Yusof (Dusun Tua-Selangor) and Hasnul Zulkarnain Ab Munaim (Titi Serong-Perak), Manogaran spoke to local campaigners about what this by-election meant.

“Unlike the previous by-elections which were mostly triggered by untimely deaths, this by-election was called after the court nullified the last results,” said Manogaran, who lost here to MIC’s C. Sivarraajh during the general election last May.

Three of the four by-elections held since GE14 took place due to the death of the MP. The fourth was called after the Port Dickson MP Danyal Balagopal Abdullah quit to pave the way for PKR president Anwar Ibrahim to return to parliament.

For Manogaran, this is his third bite of the strawberry after the election court overturned Sivarraajh’s win due to corrupt practices during the election.

The only other time the court has ordered an by-election was in 1992 when Semangat 46 assemblymen Nordin Salleh and Wan Mohamed Najib Wan Mohamed were ejected for defecting to Umno after winning the seats.

Under Kelantan law, assemblymen are deemed to have vacated their seats if they defect. The law and ejections were later deemed unconstitutional and by-elections had to be called again for Sg Pinang and Limbongan.

Edry Faisal called on voters to reject the party that had lost the seat due to corrupt practices.

“This by-election is due to loss of integrity. So, return integrity to our parliament by voting for PH,” said the Selangor assemblyman.

Personal touch

Manogaran is aware of the hurdles in Cameron Highlands.

In May, Manogaran lost both voting stations in the Sg Koyan area which houses three Felda settlements. BN and PAS swept 87% of the 2,888 votes, taking 1,290 and 1,233 votes, respectively to leave PH with only 329.

“We are weak here,” said Manogaran. “Hence, I want to endear myself to the local community here.

“I want to approach them the Malaysian way, and I don’t want to racialise this contest.”

The 59-year-old candidate declined to comment on BN’s decision to field an Orang Asli candidate in the form of retired police officer Ramli Mohd Noor.

“This is a race between PH, BN and two independents. I don’t see the racial factor. Whether they are Chinese or Indians in Tanah Rata or Malays and Orang Asli in Jelai, I will have to represent all of them if I’m elected.”

But as PKR Cameron Highlands division chief Tan Wei Wun said: “The race is in Jelai. We have today set up a home for the Perak PKR machinery here. And we will set up more to win Cameron Highlands.”

Created after the 2003 redelineation, the Cameron Highlands seat has always been held by BN.

Manogaran’s task is made much harder with PAS urging its supporters to back the BN candidate. PAS took nearly 3,600 votes In the last election. – January 13, 2019.