GE14 | The BN candidate for the Kulim-Bandar Baharu parliamentary seat at the southern tip of Kedah is wary of Umno supporters who are sympathetic towards its splinter party Bersatu.

Abdul Aziz Sheikh Fadzir said that although only about three Umno grassroots leaders in the constituency had defected to Bersatu, there are many others who may be sympathetic to their cause.

Because of this, he said he expects a tough fight ahead to win a second term in the Kulim-Bandar Baharu seat despite the opposition vote being divided between PKR and PAS.

“I only won by (1,871 votes during the last general election). The only thing is, there was no Bersatu then and now there is Bersatu.

"So, there are some Umno sympathisers that have also joined (Bersatu chairperson Dr Mahathir Mohamad’s) group. That is an area that I need to address.

“While it is a three-corner fight, but I still think that it is still going to be a very, very tough seat. I've just got to work hard to seek people's support to allow me to continue to remain,” he told Malaysiakini following his successful nomination as Kulim-Bandar Baharu candidate yesterday.

Aziz is set for a rematch against PKR’s Saifuddin Nasution Ismail, who he defeated in 2013.

PAS in the mix

He was also asked how PAS candidate Hasan Abdul Razak’s entry into the fray in this election would affect his campaigning in the run up to the polling day on May 9.

“There are a lot of sympathisers out there, so I don't want to take it lightly.

“So we have engaged them, we have spoken to them, we have explained the situation where one man don't change anything, but a concerted action under a strong party is what makes the difference,” he said.

Aziz first contested the Kuliim-Bandar Baharu seat in 2008 but lost to Zulkifli Noordin, who was then with PKR.

His elder brother, Abdul Kadir Sheikh Fadzir is a former minister who had held Kulim-Bandar Baharu for five terms from 1986 to 2008.

He later founded the National Alliance Party (Ikatan), which is a Gagasan Sejahtera coalition partner together with PAS.

Asked whether his brother will be a factor in the election, Aziz said Kadir (photo) had promised to stay out of the contest for Kulim-Bandar Baharu.

“So, I hope he will stay that way,” he chuckled.

He added that Kadir is not active in local politics, and only returns to go to SMK Sultan Badlishah as an alumni.

Community work

Speaking about his work over the five years since his election, Aziz said he frequently engaged with his constituents in schools and various places of worship, including temples and churches.

Education is a priority, he said, and he spoke with pride about his engagements with local parent-teacher associations, and the academic and extracurricular achievements of the local schools.

Read more: BN's Abdul Aziz banking on roadworks in Kulim-Bandar Baharu

Among others, he highlighted that schools in the Kulim district had the highest average UPSR results in Kedah compared to other districts.

He also told Malaysiakini that after he was elected in 2013, he launched the ‘Aman, Bersih, Ceria’ (Peaceful, Clean, Cheerful) campaign to tackle crime, repaint old shophouses, and spruce up neighbourhoods.

The crime index used to be in the hundreds as of 2008, he said, but that has been brought down to just 50.

“But the sad part is we've got a bit of worried about more drug-related cases. This is another area that we are working on.

“In Kulim, there used to be big shootings, big time robbery. So now, those have actually settled a lot,” he said.

Kulim-Bandar Baharu is an ethnically mixed semi-urban constituency, with colonial era shophouses, factories both old and new, and sprawling new developments.

History books sometimes recall that the first prime minister Tunku Abdul Rahman once served as a district officer in Kulim prior to and during the Japanese occupation of Malaya.

For this election, there are 66,587 voters on Kulim-Bandar Baharu’s electoral roll. 69.18 percent of these are Malay, 17.65 percent Chinese, and 12.87 percent Indian.

There are two state constituencies under Kulim-Bandar Baharu, namely Kulim, and the more rural Bandar Baharu.

In Kulim, MCA incumbent Chua Thiong Gee is defending his seat against PKR’s Yeo Keng Chuan, PAS’ Mohd Khairi Mohd Salleh, and Parti Rakyat Malaysia’s Lee Ah Leong. Chua had won the 2013 election by a mere 643-vote majority.

In Bandar Baharu, meanwhile, Umno incumbent Norsabrina Mohd Nor is also seeking her second term in office.

She had won by 2,069 votes in the last election, and will now face a challenge from PAS’ Rohaizat Ja’afar and Bersatu’s Azimi Daim.