PAKATAN Harapan has ramped up its door-to-door campaign with the message to outstation voters to come back and vote.

PH Cameron Highlands deputy election director Chiong Yoke Kong said the feedback after visiting hundreds of households has been positive and it is expecting at least 70% of outstation voters to return on Saturday to Cameron Highlands.

Their feedback has also revealed that the people are not happy with their elected Barisan Nasional representatives. 

“Both the MP (member of parliament) and assemblyman are opposition. So, the people feel frustrated,” said Chiong, the Tanah Rata assemblyman. 

“Now they are a getting a second chance to make a difference and vote again. 

“What we are doing is telling families to get their children and relatives to come back and vote. At least 70% of the people we spoke to said they will call their children back,” he told The Malaysian Insight.

There are 32,009 voters in Cameron Highlands. 

The electorate breakdown is Malay (33.5%), Chinese (29.48%), Indian (14.91%) Orang Asli (21.56%), Bumiputera Sabah (0.12%), Bumiputera Sarawak (0.06%) and others (0.37%).

Bangi MP Ong Kian Ming said PH needs to hit certain targets to achieve a victory. 

Among them is voter turnout must not drop below 55%, especially among key PH supporters and reeling in at least 70% of Chinese and Indian support, Ong said.

It also needs to increase Malay and Orang Asli support from about 10% to at least 30% and increase early and postal voter support from 10% to 40%.

The by-election will see a four-cornered fight between PH’s M. Manogaran, Ramli Mohd Nor (BN) and independents Sallehudin Ab Talib and Wong Seng Yee.

Chiong said the door-to-door message is repeated during the daily ceramah.

“However, we don’t expect those who are overseas to return.”

When asked if Chinese voters will take leave and come back 10 days before the Chinese New Year celebrations to vote, Chiong said he is optimistic as they want a change. 

“We think it shouldn’t be a problem because they are used to it (travelling).

“If the voters stay in Kuala Lumpur, Ipoh and Penang, then travelling won’t be an issue.”

A voter from Kg Raja who wanted to be known as Yap said she had already informed her children. 

“My two children are working in Kuala Lumpur and they said they will come back to vote,” she said. 

Chiong added that the coalition is positive about turnout, especially among the Indians. 

“We are constantly engaging with the Indian community in Kuala Terla and Tanah Rata. 

“Most of the families we met said they will ask their children to return. But they never said who they will vote for.”

PH is expecting a 65% to 70% turnout on Saturday, he said.

In the 14th general election, BN candidate C. Sivarraajh won Cameron Highlands with 10,307 votes, getting a slim 597 majority over Manogaran. The PAS candidate got 3,587 votes, Parti Sosialis Malaysia (680) and Berjasa (81).

An election court, however, annulled the result for the Cameron Highlands seat after Sivarraajh was found to have bribed voters.

The Election Commission then declared that the MIC vice-president was ineligible to contest the January 26 by-election. He was also barred from registering as a voter or election candidate for five years, beginning December 13 last year. – January 21, 2019.