Kepong: DAPs fate hangs in the balance
In just over 24 hours, the outcome of the election in the Kuala Lumpur suburb of Kepong could well be the most important indicator of DAP's future relevance in Malaysian politics.
A constituency with the highest proportion of Chinese voters - at more than 90 percent - Kepong has firmly stood behind DAP, come what may, in reflection of the general sentiment of urban Chinese voters, its main pool of supporters.
Yet in the past few weeks, DAP's assurance of this area has all but dissipated causing even chairperson Lim Kit Siang to signal his alarm over a possible defeat after a 20-year streak.
At the heart of the battle for Kepong is DAP's five-term incumbent, Dr Tan Seng Giaw, and young Gerakan lawyer Ma Woei Chyi, who is back to challenge Tan for the second time.
Going against Tan for some time now has been the increasingly widespread perception that he had not done enough for his constituents over the past 20-odd years in dealing with the usual city-dwelling problems of traffic jams, resettlements and water quality.
Doctor vs lawyer
Tan conceded almost as much during an interview last week when he stressed that his main task as an MP was to scrutinise legislation and participate in debates in Parliament and not solve people's woes with local councils or utility boards.
Unfortunately for him though, this is precisely the area that his competitor has been more than willing to oblige.
When met yesterday before a ceramah in Kepong Baru, Ma said one of his key pledges was to improve the living conditions in the area.
"We want to solve the basic infrastructure problems. We want to bring about basic social development, maybe build a library or a stadium. We also hope to develop the economy," he said.
Also taking a jibe at Tan who runs a day clinic in addition to his MP duties, Ma said if elected, he would devote 100 percent of his time to the people in bringing their voice to Parliament.
Appealing to the crowd of some 100 people, one of Ma's campaign agents said, "If a doctor can address Parliament, Ma can definitely do better since he is a lawyer."
"Tan has served since Ma was only five years old. Give Ma a chance. If you don't like him you can always vote him out five years later."
To date, Ma's strategy appears to have worked well. According to several Kepong Baru residents, Ma's efforts have definitely earned him recognition in the area.
"Of course we know Ma. He is here quite a lot and he has helped some people with their problems. It was quite a close fight last time and he may be able to win this," said one resident.
The crowd battle
Whether this is sufficient grounds for Ma to win this elections is, however, still debatable.
Tan may not do as well as Ma in attracting the popular sentiment but he is still a seasoned incumbent with a broad and long-standing support in the area.
Observers said Tan's ceramah remain well-attended and riotous affairs while similar events held by Ma attracted much smaller and more subdued crowds.
"Ma held a buffet dinner at Taman Pusat Kepong yesterday and most of the people who turned up were mainly mothers and their children. It is not a good sign for him since there are many people living in the area.
"But when Tan held his ceramah , all the men went and people were clapping and cheering him on," said the resident.
Furthermore, urban Chinese voters have long been traditional opposition voters, and it may take more than Ma's promises of improved conditions and more development to win over the voters.
In 1999, Ma had lost with only a margin of 1,766 votes but much of this is said to be helped by the large swing of votes towards the ruling coalition in an anti-reaction to DAP's collusion with PAS.
With DAP's withdrawal from Barisan Alternatif, Ma has been bereft of this popular vote-getter, thereby forcing him to rely on his track record of serving the people.
Young voters
Much would also depend on whether voters would be persuaded to give him a chance given that he is representative of the ruling coalition which is generally viewed with some level of suspicion there.
"If people vote based on the candidate, Ma would probably win but there are many more who would vote based on the party. A lot of people still vote according to party. It is still important for us to have opposition in Parliament," said an elderly resident.
Voters may still choose to keep Tan in Parliament to keep the opposition alive but be assured that Ma would still service the area and assist them in their other demands, as he has already been doing.
One final factor that could deliver victory to Ma is the support that would come to him from young voters or first time voters, more than 50 percent of whom had voted for the ruling coalition in 1999.
However, as Tan pointed out, young voters still make up a low percentage of total voters in the area due to the low registration rate of newly eligible voters.
For Tan, the challenge now is not only to hang on but to keep Ma at abeyance for another term.
Should he succeed, the Gerakan lawyer will likely be moved to another constituency, leaving Tan once again with the upper hand against a new challenger the next time round.
Failing that, Tan's departure would definitely mark DAP's further decline in opposition politics.
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