GE14 | It is often that BN politicians play the development card during election campaigns to woo voters in neglected rural areas. In the case of Bagan Datuk, the local people appear to have cashed in well before nomination day.

In 2013, voters of Bagan Datuk faithfully returned local boy Ahmad Zahid Hamidi to Parliament for a fifth term. However, little did the Bagan Datuk voters know that, eventually, their MP would be elevated to deputy prime minister mid-term.

As Zahid's fortunes changed, so did the sleepy one-street coastal town of Bagan Datuk.

For starters, Bagan Datuk became Perak's twelfth - and second smallest district - just a year ago. Having a new local government is predicted to not only bring convenience to the local populace but also create new civil service and contractual jobs...