news feature
The battle lines drawn here are crystal clear. For the Muslims, it's material development versus spiritual growth or life in the hereafter; for the non-Muslims, it's Umno's vs PAS' "Islamic state".
Way before nomination day on Wednesday, Barisan Nasional leaders were already getting into their usual practice of 'dangling the carrot' before the voters.
Over the weekend, several ministers joined the bandwagon by announcing million-ringgit projects such as low-cost housing, better medical and transportation services for the two constituencies.
Yesterday, Kedah Menteri Besar Syed Razak Syed Zain stood in the sweltering afternoon heat as he handed over food hampers and cheques for education totalling RM19,500 to several village folk at Maktab Rendah Sains Mara in Pendang.
The minister also launched a RM1 million Mara activity centre from which vocational training and workshops will be conducted for students.
At the function, the 200-odd participants, mostly students, were also told that business licences worth RM278,000 have been approved by the state government.
Million-ringgit projects
Many other projects are in store for the 91,894 Pendang residents. There will be a man-made lake complete with jogging track and a rest house, a RM1.2 million mini football stadium, a RM1.9 million district mosque located in Kampung Tanjung Raden, a RM29 million Sekolah Menengah Teknik Pendang and a new toll at Tokai, about 10km from the Pendang town, an interchange for those travelling to Sik and Padang Terap via the Plus (Lebuhraya Utara-Selatan Bhd) highway.
However, Syed Razak was quick to discount any connection between these projects and the coming by-elections.
"We are not announcing these projects due to the coming elections," said Syed Razak, before launching the Mara activity centre.
"These projects have been planned earlier. We have made plans to launch the centre at around this time," he added.
Most functions held by BN leaders have the same sequence in their agenda first, a brief political talk, then announcement of million-ringgit projects and lastly presentation of hampers or cheques.
One-way ticket to heaven
PAS, on the other hand, entices its voters with intangible gifts such as merit ( pahala ) and a 'one-way ticket to heaven'.
The party's spiritual adviser, Nik Aziz Nik Mat, sees nothing wrong in this.
He explains in a booklet distributed to voters that as long as PAS "combats evil, does good and adheres to the teachings of the Prophet", its supporters will gain merit.
"If non-governmental organisations can gain merit by doing charity, why not us a registered party with a constitution?" he said.
Voters were told to reject Umno because the party was "confused" and can do nothing that was worthy of merit.
But locals say voters can have their cake and eat it too, if banner slogans are anything to go by.
" Kalau bagi duit, ambil. Kalau bagi gula, kacau. Kalau bagi kain, pakai. Bagi apapun, terima. Bila undi, pangkah bulan (If they give money, take it. If they give sugar, stir it. If they give cloth, wear it. Whatever they give, accept it. When voting, cross for the moon (PAS' logo)," says one prominent banner in town.
Material or spiritual
It is hard to say which will prevail at the end material or spiritual wealth.
Farmer Hamid Nazri says that poor people cannot understand the value of mega-projects.
"We don't even know what a million ringgit looks like, how big it is and what it can do for us.
"We don't know if we have that much money, what to do with it," said the 47-year-old father of six.
"But we can imagine what it's like when we sin or do not follow Islam. The Quran tells us what we can expect," he added.
Hamid, who lives in Sungai Tiang, said the village folk have little need for the kind of development projects offered by the state.
"We have our padi planting, rubber plantations and fruit orchards. We have lived like this for years, even when BN was in charge," he said.
"Our lives are very much the same no matter who is the member of parliament. We work just as hard. When it floods, our livelihood suffers. Umno or PAS can't change this," he added.
A 'Malay' thing
The Pendang parliamentary seat was Umno/BN's until PAS wrested it away in the 1999 general election.
The late PAS president and opposition leader Fadzil Noor, who died on June 23, won the seat by defeating BN candidate and incumbent Othman Abdul by a majority of 2,939 votes.
Although the constituency had fallen into opposition hands, the government continued with its development plans for the area as Kedah had envisioned itself to be a fully developed state by 2010.
Pendang's main economic activity is agriculture, with 82 percent of its 62,929ha used for planting padi and rubber.
The population is comprised of 77,427 Malay Malaysians, 7,266 Chinese Malaysians, 6,189 Thai Malaysians and 1,012 Indian Malaysians.
Which is why most of the election campaigns and events are attended by the Malays. The local Chinese, who run businesses in Pekan Pendang or Sungai Tiang, carry on with their usual activities as if nothing is at stake.
"It is a very 'Malay' thing. The Chinese and Indian votes have very little effect on the overall voting pattern," says a local businessman, who wishes to be known only as Chun.
"Most of the Chinese are comfortable with BN. We have also lived with PAS but its insistence on the Islamic state and hudud laws are a bit scary and has made it difficult for us to support the party," he added.
