PAS vice-president Idris Ahmad will be in the fight of his political life to defend his party’s sole parliamentary seat in Perak from both Barisan Nasional and Pakatan Harapan.

Idris won the seat by a thin majority of 986 votes in 2013 back when PAS was part of the Pakatan Rakyat coalition together with DAP and PKR.

Now, the Islamist party is at high risk of losing the seat after it broke off with its allies and is going at it alone.

Local PH leaders are also worried that the Election Commission’s re-delineation will carve out chunks of the Chinese votes and move them to neighbouring Taiping.

In the 13th general election, more than 80% of Chinese voted for the opposition.

Despite the steep odds, Idris is ready to take on all rivals if his party fields him again in the 14th general election.

“The party decides but if they ask me where I would like to stand, I’ll choose Bukit Gantang,” Idris told The Malaysian Insight.

The almost seven-decade-old Islamist party’s best election outing in Perak was in 2008, when it won two parliamentary seats and six state seats as part of the PR pact.

With an ethnic composition of 68% Malays, Chinese (23%) and Indians (9%), Bukit Gantang has 78,951 voters as of 2017.

Malay kampung dominate its landscape. Its Chinese inhabitants are mainly concentrated in Simpang Baru and the Kuala Sepetang fishing village while its Indian electorate is scattered throughout the constituency.

Close fight

Locals who were met in Bukit Gantang attested to PAS’ large presence in Malay kampung.

Bukit Gantang PKR division chief Chua Yee Ling admits this but said it will be hard for PAS to win again without the high support from non-Muslim voters the party enjoyed in 2008 and 2013.

Chinese voters, such as lorry driver Woo, said his friends would not vote for PAS again in GE14.

The main contest would be between BN and PH with PAS acting as a spoiler.

BN would gain an unfair edge over PH if the EC pushes through its proposal to move two Chinese-majority voting districts: Pengkalan Aor and Simpang Baru into Taiping, said Chua.

The two voting districts have a total of 8,910 voters. The controversial move would turn Taiping into a larger Chinese-majority seat with a highly disproportionate number of Chinese voters.

Regardless, Chua said PH hopes to win Bukit Gantang by fielding a candidate from Umno splinter party Bersatu to woo disgruntled Umno supporters.

Amanah would reach out to disenchanted PAS members.

Perak Bersatu has not responded to The Malaysian Insight’s enquiry about its Bukit Gantang candidate.

There are three state seats within Bukit Gantang. PKR won Changkat Jering and Kuala Sepetang while BN won Trong in 2008.

In 2013, PKR retained Kuala Sepetang while Mohammad Nizar Jamaluddin won Changkat Jering. Trong remains an Umno fixed deposit.

Personal touch

On the BN side, Idris is likely to come up against Umno Bukit Gantang division chief Syed Abu Hussin Hafiz Syed Abdul Fasal or Kamunting assemblyman and Perak executive councillor Zahir Abdul Khalid.

Both are vying to contest in a parliamentary seat for the first time.

Syed Abu Hussin is a controversial corporate figure in Perak. He allegedly received government contracts worth more than RM6 billion to build mini-hydro dams, 1Malaysia mobile clinics and to provide catering for the army.

In spite of that, the 58-year-old believes the social services his division is providing  since 2014 will help him win over his rural constituents.

“I have 1,000 women on the ground. We go to every kampong, identify the needy and help solve their problems: repair leaking roofs, provide food baskets for the poor, help them apply for welfare aid, BR1M (1Malaysia People’s Aid),” he said.

A man working in Johor was able to get help to repair his elderly mother’s house via the Umno division’s Facebook page.

“My voters can reach me any time,” said the businessman.

 Undecided voters

Man, a 38-year-old street hawker at Kg Kepala Bukit, said he has not decided who to vote for yet but is currently pro-Umno.

“I support Umno because they are in the state and federal government (but) I’m frustrated because I cannot get BR1M,” said the father of four.

“We still have many poor people. I just hope who ever we vote into power, they will really take care of the people. For example, not just help repair leaking roofs but give the needy new houses,” he said.

A grocery store owner in his 60s, Mat, from Kg Bukit Gantang, said it is hard to predict who will win because there are many PH supporters in PAS, and Umno supporters are also split.

“I used to be an Umno supporter until the late 1980s. It’s hard to say who will win this time. PAS cannot win. It’s between Pakatan and Umno,” he said.

Lorry driver Wu of Air Kuning said he will compare the candidates from PH and BN before deciding who to vote for.

“I work seven days a week. I don’t have time to go to ceramah. I’ll decide when election comes,” he said. – March 26, 2018.