GE14 | Teluk Intan is a town in Perak that is famous for chee cheung fun, prawns and its leaning tower. Politically, it is also known for its notoriously fickle voters.

Since 1986 when the federal constituency was created, Teluk Intan has changed hands between Gerakan and DAP four times - twice during by-elections.

In 1997 when a by-election was called, DAP scored an impressive victory, only to lose Teluk Intan in the 1999 general election.

This mid-term change of heart happened again in 2014, with Gerakan taking the seat back from DAP.

For the coming May 9 election, Teluk Intan may see its most interesting contest yet, with the incumbent and Gerakan president Mah Siew Keong defending his seat against Perak DAP chief Nga Kor Ming and Dr Ahmad Ramadzan Ahmad Daud of PAS.

On paper, Ahmad Ramadzan (photo) is unlikely to pose a legitimate challenge, but Nga, who is widely popular among the Chinese across the country, will likely give Mah a stiff challenge.

A straw poll of the Teluk Intan people before the election campaign revealed that many voters are in two minds over who to vote for this time around.

A first-time voter, who wished to be known only as "Mrs Lee", said she and her friends had surmised the contest as a choice between "local development" and "changing the federal government".

"Our group has been discussing this for a while. Some say we should again back Mah, because he will bring us development.

"Others said that is a selfish way of thinking and that we should vote for (to change) the future of the country," Mrs Lee told Malaysiakini.

She explained that Teluk Intan town was flood-prone because much of the town sits on a meander along the Perak River. Many townsfolk credited Mah for the flood mitigation works in the area.

The fact that Mah has been steadfast in his work as a local troubleshooter in Teluk Intan, despite losing the 2008 and 2013 elections, has further endeared him to the local people.

Why not continue with our happy life?

Fengshui master and undertaker Chong Ah Chay, 53, said he will vote for Mah, in order for the latter to continue his work here.

"When we have a corrupt leader, I want a change government too. But can (Pakatan Harapan) do it? Since they cannot, why not continue with our happy life here?

"Mah delivers. Why shouldn't I vote for him for the sake of Teluk Intan? He has been always with us, unlike DAP which kept changing its candidate in Teluk Intan," Chong said.

Such local sentiment was perhaps why DAP secretary-general Lim Guan Eng announced that his party would nominate Nga as a cabinet minister should he win in Teluk Intan and if Harapan formed the federal government.

This was widely seen as a move to stem possible concerns by voters that removing Mah from office would deprive them of a cabinet minister with resources and clout.

In a recent interview with Malaysiakini, Mah conceded that he was again facing a battle to hang on to Teluk Intan, but the ace up his sleeve would be the fact that he has kept his promises.

For instance, the construction of the Sultan Idris Education University (UPSI) branch, which he promised in 2014, is well underway. Completion has been scheduled for the end of 2019.

Then, there is the high-tech bund to protect erosion along the Perak River banks, aimed at preventing part of the town from becoming an island.

He said the local people are also eagerly awaiting the completion of the West Coast Highway, which will cut travel time to Ipoh and Penang.

As for industries, Mah has embarked on an ambitious plan to diversify agriculture produce in the constituency, where 60 percent of the land is currently used for oil palm plantations.

But all this may not be enough to convince voters to hang on to him, he conceded.

"This is a tough battle. Any constituency that comprises less than 50 percent Malay is difficult for BN to win," he said.

According to the electoral roll used for the May 9 election, Teluk Intan has 40.7 percent Malay voters, followed by Chinese (40.1 percent) and Indians (18.64 percent).

There have been signs of volatile vote swings during the 2013 general election and 2014 by-election, making this anybody’s game.

While Nga (photo) cannot play the local boy card like Mah, he is not too alien to locals because he was once the Perak assembly opposition leader.

Nga said that the Teluk Intan people need not be worried about neglect from physical and economic development because ongoing projects are guaranteed to continue, regardless of whether Mah is in office or not.

"Don't worry. We will continue with whatever ongoing development projects or projects that in the pipeline. And, I will be better than him," said Nga, who was once part of Pakatan Rakyat’s short-lived Perak cabinet after the 2008 general election.

Nga said Gerakan shouldn’t complain about DAP’s practice of fielding different candidates in Teluk Intan over the past few elections because Gerakan does the same in other constituencies.

"Thus, this should not be an issue," he said.

His opponents have also pointed out that he resides in Ipoh and is planning to be both the Aulong assemblyperson and Teluk Intan MP - with these two areas being about two hours apart by road.

Again, Nga said, he was no stranger to such arrangements and if his performance at the past elections were anything to go by, then voters are satisfied with his and his team’s performance.

Perhaps one of the most important components of Nga’s campaign will fall on the back of Terrence Naidu, DAP’s first-term assemblyperson for Pasir Bedamar - a DAP stronghold.

Malays will have the deciding vote

Terrence’s political secretary Anida Osman said Malays will have the deciding vote in Teluk Intan and the signs are encouraging for Harapan due to her bosses' work there, especially over the past two years.

Although Malays generally shy away from DAP, Anida (photo) pointed out that the residents of Kampung Belakang Kilang and Kampung Eso uncharacteristically approached her office instead of Umno for help to replace the dilapidated fishing jetties.

Her office then crowdfunded RM24,000 to help build steel jetties.

“Without a proper jetty, the villagers, who rely on freshwater prawns as their source of income, often have to swim to their boats during the high tide," Anida (photo) said, adding that this put their safety at risk as there were crocodiles in the waters.

Other signs that Malays began to accept DAP were when they took brochures handed out to them during the party's frequent walkabouts.

"They even came to our office, which in the past did not happen," she added.

A visit to Kampung Belakang Kilang Padi showed some evidence of Anida’s claim, with some Malay villagers stating that they would back the DAP candidates at both state and parliamentary levels.

Fisherman Zulhizad Dani, 60, who chose his hometown as a place for retirement, found that he could not escape inflation due to GST.

He and his cousin set their eyes for a change so they could ease their burdens.

"The price of the prawn is good and we can earn RM60 to RM70 per kg, but the weather and the clarity of the river decide if we can get a good catch.

"I would say I only earn RM1,000 a month," he said.

His neighbour and PAS member Kama Azuan Zainal Abidin, 39, said he would go with PAS candidate Ahmad Ramadzan instead.

"I am not going to support DAP as it rejected the Syariah Courts (Criminal Jurisdiction) Act 1965. I am not going to support BN, which emphasised on cronyism," he added.

Over at Kampung Selabak, a known BN stronghold where 80 percent of voters backed Mah in 2014, their support for Mah has not wavered.

All voters interviewed there said they are obliged to back the BN candidate because BN has helped the community.

According to Jekyah Abdullah (photo above), an Umno Kampung Selabak branch committee member, who was entrusted by her party to ensure that the local people continue to support BN, her finding showed at least 1,200 voters in their area will support BN.

"I am sure this time around 90 percent of the voters here will support BN," she added.

This is the third and final part of Malaysiakini's series on Hilir Perak. Earlier stories:

'Ring... ring... Hello! This is your YB speaking'

In Bagan Datuk, Zahid's development blitz strikes a chord