AS three-term assemblymen for Rantau, acting Umno president Mohamad Hasan looks like he has an upper hand in the April 13 by-election, but Indian voters here who form 26% of the electorate said they have been marginalised under Barisan Nasional rule.

Mohamad may have been Negri Sembilan menteri besar but Indian voters at a ceramah last night said he did not provide them affordable housing during his tenure at the state government.

“It’s hard for us to get affordable housing and it’s because we are Indians. We can’t get low-cost housing here,” said Rantau native S. Murthy, 38 who lives here with his wife, child and most of his extended family. 

Murthy, who runs a small business, said the state government under Mohamad allocated affordable housing units to people from outside the constituency.

“We were hoping to get low-cost housing but we couldn’t get. The house is worth RM35,000 but they gave the houses to those who are not Rantau natives,” he said, referring to the BN state government.

At 26%, Indian voters could be the kingmakers among Rantau’s more than 22,000 voters, of whom 55% are Malay and Chinese (18%).

Malay support is expected to largely consolidate behind Mohamad, thanks to Umno’s cooperation with PAS.

Many Indian families come from the surrounding estates and are hoping for a better life in the town areas.

But another 57-year-old, known as Nadesein, said he still travelled to Kuala Lumpur for work as a parking attendant and had no option but to rent a tiny house for RM500 a month for his family of four children.

“For us Indians in the area, it’s hard to get affordable housing even though we have lived here our whole lives,” he told The Malaysian Insight. 

“Some Indian families come from the estates to live in the town for a better life. They have no money and six or seven children and still have to rent a small one room house. Why can’t they get affordable housing? This is a big issue in the area.”

Both Nadesein and Murthy are from Bandar Ekar in Rantau, which is predominantly Indian. 

Murthy also spoke of his experiences encountering racial bias, especially when it came to obtaining bank loans. 

“When an Indian asks for a bank loan, they will ask for all sorts of documentation as happened with me. But a Malay friend needed a loan and went to the bank. He got his loan almost instantaneously.

“We Indians go to the bank to get loans and we don’t get that also,” he added.

Another Rantau local, lorry driver, R. Logaraja, 46, said transportation in the area is a big problem as it can take three hours to get to Seremban Hospital for check-ups. 

“It takes two hours to get the bus and another 1½ hours to get to Seremban. We need better accessibility here.”

The three men attended a ceramah in Bandar Ekar last night where Domestic Trade and Consumer affairs Minister Saifuddin Nasution Ismail, Negri Sembilan Menteri Besar Aminuddin Harun and PKR candidate Dr S. Streram gave speeches.

At least 70% of the 150 attendees last night were ethnic Indians.

Murthy said he expects most Indians to vote for PKR in the by-election as they felt neglected under BN.

“Mohamad Hasan has not been active in this area, he never come here. (BN) doesn’t support the Indians here.”

He added that Indians here felt “looked down” upon and cited as an example the once-a year open house for Hari Raya but not for Deepavali, even though Indian voters form a sizeable percentage.

“When the Indians attend the (Hari Raya) open house, they will say ‘the Indians only know how to come and eat’,” Murthy added. 

All three men also said Streram had shown them the personal touch.

“He came to our houses to talk to use personally. Tok Mat has been here long enough. We will see if Streram can make any difference,” said Logaraja, using Mohamad’s moniker.

All three also felt that with Streram as assemblyman, it would be easier to obtain bank loans to by houses for their families.

Streram, an anaesthetist, mounted a legal challenge against Mohamad’s unopposed win in the 14th general election last year.

Streram was Pakatan Harapan’s candidate in GE14 but was barred from contesting after he was denied entry into the nomination centre on the grounds that he did not have an Election Commission (EC) pass.

In November last year, the elections court nullified Mohamad’s win. His appeal at the Federal Court was also dismissed, triggering the by-election.

Two other independents, R. Malar and Mohd Nor Yassin, are making the fight for Rantau a four-cornered one. – April 2, 2019.