SPECIAL REPORT | In the sleepy village of Kampung Tanjung Minyak, Umno flags flutter atop rooftops and mango trees.

The flags are a reminder to outsiders that this Malaccan village, like many Malay villages in the state, is staunchly behind Umno.

Countless attempts by NGOs and the opposition to campaign on the outskirts of Malacca have ended with repeated incidents of violence as villagers sought to chase them away.

It is for this reason that the opposition has never been able to expand beyond the predominantly Chinese Malacca city centre, with DAP dominating the state's opposition politics for decades...