Non-Malay voters hold key to Anwar victory in Tambun


Ravin Palanisamy

Analysts say Anwar Ibrahim will be banking on the non-Malays to be the kingmakers to win the Tambun parliamentary seat this Saturday. – The Malaysian Insight pic by Afif Abd Halim, November 16, 2022.

WITH the Malay votes divided, Anwar Ibrahim will be banking on the non-Malays to be the kingmakers to win the Tambun parliamentary seat this Saturday, analysts said.

They said the Malay votes in this constituency are expected to be divided between the four-contesting parties. 

In the new electoral roll, around 66% of voters in Tambun are Malays, followed by Chinese (20.5%), Indians (12.1%) and others (1.4%). There are 160,558 voters in the constituency. 

Apart from Anwar, the other candidates are incumbent Ahmad Faizal Azumu from Perikatan Nasional (PN), Aminuddin Md Hanafiah (Barisan Nasional) and Abdul Rahim Tahir (Pejuang).  

Bersatu, Umno and Pejuang are also gunning for the Malay votes in Tambun. 

International Islamic University Malaysia’s Tunku Mohar Tunku Mohd Mokhtar believes that Anwar can secure a win because of the undivided support he gets from the non-Malays.  

“Anwar is banking mainly on the non-Malay votes as they would not be drawn to candidates from right-wing Malay parties,” he said.  

Tunku Mohar also said Anwar will get a significant number of Malay votes to triumph ahead of his closest rival Faizal.  

“He should be able to get significant Malay support too as they may not vote for his main challenger, Faizal, because despite his experience as Perak menteri besar and a minister, nothing much is known about his contribution or ideas,” Tunku Mohar added.  

Meanwhile, University of Tasmania’s professor of Asian studies, James Chin, was of the view that Anwar will easily get almost 90% of the Chinese votes in Tambun.  

“I think it is quite true that Anwar will be relying on DAP and Chinese votes, and it is quite clear that he will be locking between 80 and 90% of their votes.  

“So he needs to win only one-third to half of the Malay votes to get rid of Peja,” James said, referring to Faizal by his nickname.

Chin, a voter in Tambun, says Anwar Ibrahim should be given a chance to lead the country. – The Malaysian Insight pic by Afif Abd Halim, November 16, 2022.

Electors say Anwar deserves a chance to be PM

Several non-Malay voters told The Malaysian Insight that they were ready to back “the next prime minister” Anwar.  

They said the PKR president should be given a chance to lead the country.  

“He has been facing numerous struggles and even the last time when Pakatan Harapan won, he had every chance to be the prime minister, only for some to spoil it.  

“He should be given a chance. He is vocal, visionary, has ideas and definitely has all the qualities to lead the country. We believe he can bring a change to Malaysia,” a voter who wanted to be known as Chin, told The Malaysian Insight.  

Among the other prime minister candidates – Ismail Sabri Yaakob (BN), Muhyiddin Yassin (PN) and Dr Mahathir Mohamad (Pejuang) – Chin said Anwar was a brighter, better and capable person to lead the country. 

He said that the people could evaluate the performance of the other three candidates as they have held the post before.  

“Among the three names in contention, I’m moving towards what Anwar has to offer because he wants to reform the country and bring about changes. 

“We have witnessed other performances because they have been there. So, why not give Anwar a chance to show his mettle?” the 51-year-old asked. 

Another voter who wanted to be known as Pavitra said she decided to vote for Anwar the moment he was made a candidate in Tambun.  

Boutique store assistant Syaffarina, a first-time voter, says she is more drawn to Perikatan Nasional’s candidate and incumbent MP, Ahmad Faizal Azumu. – The Malaysian Insight pic by Afif Abd Halim, November 16, 2022.

Pavitra, 32, said she had had enough of the political drama that took place over the past few years, adding that Anwar should “rightfully” be voted to win the parliamentary seat and then to lead the country.

She said she would not be able to sacrifice losing a representative of Anwar’s calibre in Parliament. 

“Anwar is my choice by a mile. Not because I don’t like the other candidates but I cannot afford to vote for others who are not going to speak much in parliament and be a puppet for their party.  

“We know what Peja is capable of. What has he done in the past few years? But Anwar has been constantly talking about people’s issues, he is voicing concern.  

“Put aside his (Anwar) ambition of being the next prime minister but should we lose a candidate who speaks up? No. So my vote is for him,” the accountant said.  

Pavitra, who works in Kuala Lumpur, said she made her trip back to Tambun a week before polling day after requesting permission from her office to work from home. 

“We are excited and hopeful this time around. Let’s see if the next prime minister is indeed from Tambun,” she said.  

First-time voter Alex says he excited to have a potential prime minister contesting in the constituency where he votes. – The Malaysian Insight pic by Afif Abd Halim, November 16, 2022.

Alex, a first-time voter, said he will also cast his ballot for Anwar.  

According to Alex, he would not vote for other parties contesting in the constituency as he felt they were irrelevant. 

“BN is a big no and I would not want to vote for PN because they have PAS in it while Pejuang only carries the Malay agenda. So, my clear choice is PH here,” the 23-year-old university student said.  

Alex said he was also excited to have a potential prime minister contesting in the constituency where he votes.  

Alex felt that Anwar was very charismatic and he would not have issues appealing to voters.  

“I think what Anwar talks about in ceramah are valid points and he highlights current issues and concerns.  

“Let’s see if PH can form the next government,” he said. 

Malay sentiments are split 

While most non-Malays are clear who to pick in Tambun, the Malays are, however, split with their choices.  

Syaffarina, 24, a first-time voter, said she was more attracted to PN against other parties.  

“They (PN) are fielding the current incumbent, a local here. He (Faizal) would understand our problems more than outsiders.  

“So for now I see PN as my choice as opposed to others contesting here,” the store assistant said.  

Syaffarina said BN used to have a strong presence in the area but noted that support for the party was slowly dwindling and people were now leaning towards PN.  

“Last time I saw a lot of BN flags in my area but now most have switched to PN. That is maybe a sign of shift in support,” she said.  

Ahmad Faizal Azumu speaking at a Jelajah PN Best ceramah in Tambun, November 13, 2022. Analysts are of the view voters will not support the Bersatu candidate as nothing much is known of his contribution or ideas despite his tenure as Perak MB and minister. – The Malaysian Insight pic by Afif Abd Halim, November 16, 2022.

Another voter who wanted to be known as Hazid said he would vote for BN to ensure stability.  

He said the Ismail-led government proved it was stable.  

“After all that happened in the past three years, I think it is enough what the people have gone through.  

“After Ismail came, we saw a sense of stability. So, let that stability remain after GE15,” the businessman said.  

Asked if Ismail would still be prime minister, Hazid said he was confident BN would stick to its promise.  

“BN chairman promised and Ismail’s performance was good. So I think he will continue,” he said.  

Hazid also claimed Anwar “ran away” from Port Dickson because he feared losing the seat.  

“I think people can see. He never fulfilled most of the promises he made when he was their MP.  

“Anwar probably knew he would lose in Port Dickson so he ran here but who told him this is safe for him? He will have a tough fight,” Hazid said.  

Mohd Yusri on the other hand said he would throw his support for PH, as there was nothing wrong or unIslamic in supporting the coalition.  

“We should stop racial politics and look towards the betterment of the country. They (PH) have a multiracial coalition.  

“It is time we look at progress and I feel Anwar would be the one to bring it,” the 42-year-old said.  

Yusri said that Anwar truly deserved the chance to lead the country.  

“He has been fighting to lead the country but every time he edged closer, they just did something to prevent him.  

“This time, I really hope he leads and then we can see what he can bring about. If his performance is good then I think more people would support him,” he said.  

Overall in Perak, Malay voters are the majority, with about one million people (51%), followed by the Chinese at about 690,000 (34%), Indians at about 246,000 (12%), Orang Asli at about 41,000 (2%) and other races. – November 16, 2022.


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