Muda’s debutante in Tg Karang hopes BN’s split may tip the balance

GE15 | The Tanjong Karang parliamentary seat has been a BN stronghold ever since its first election in 1978, with outgoing MP Noh Omar holding the seat for six consecutive terms.

Yet, the seat is not an impenetrable fortress. In the last general election Noh won only by getting 37 percent of the vote, a drop from 49 percent in GE13, after multiple polling districts in the southern part of the constituency fell to Pakatan Harapan.

And with Noh now out of the picture, the balance may have tipped against BN, Muda’s candidate in the Tanjong Karang, Siti Rahayu Baharin believes.

“As much as I don’t want to take advantage of other people’s downfall, it is the reality.

“I do not deny that (BN replacing Noh) may cause some split of votes, and it might be some sort of advantage to everyone participating.

“Right now with Noh not contesting, the playing field might be much more even (for us),” Rahayu (above, right) told Malaysiakini during an interview on Sunday.

The political novice was asked to comment on internal dissent among local BN supporters in Tanjong Karang following the BN leadership’s decision to field Habibah Mohd Yusof instead of letting Noh defend it.

Noh, who is a former cabinet minister, had first won the seat in 1995 and successfully defended it up until the 2018 general election.

For the 15th general election, BN decided to replace him with Habibah, who is Tanjong Karang Wanita Umno chief, a decision that did not sit well with some grassroots party members.

Warm welcome

Muda was registered as a political party only last year and is making its debut in a general election. The party had previously participated in the Johor state election early this year, where it bagged just one state seat.

Despite being a relatively new party, Muda’s first-time presence in Tanjong Karang was warmly welcomed by locals.

During several of Rahayu’s walkabouts in Tanjong Karang, many members of the public greeted her with smiles.

This included an elderly constituent in his 60s at the Tanjong Karang town night market, who cheered for Rahayu and her Muda campaign machinery.

“Don’t worry, we surely will support you,” said the shirt seller.

Some of them expressed their belief that Muda, which is representing Pakatan Harapan under an electoral pact, may have some chance to win the Tanjong Karang seat.

“Yes, I have heard about Muda. I think there may be some hope (for Muda) this time,” said a 23-year-old student, who only wished to be known as Gunasundari.

Rahayu, fondly known as Cikgu Ayu among her supporters, also believes that being an outsider should not be too much of a hindrance for voters to pick her as their MP.

To her, what really matters is the service that a candidate can offer to the constituency.

“I understand the issue of local candidates versus outsiders, and I do not deny that there is a need to have a local candidate.

“But a good candidate will still be a good candidate, regardless of whether he or she is a local or not, as long as the person is concerned about the people,” she said.

Rahayu hails from Kedah and now resides in Gombak, Selangor. She had resigned from teaching to start Buku Jalanan Chow Kit, an NGO that provides educational opportunities to marginalised children in the Chow Kit area of Kuala Lumpur.

The educator pointed to two of Muda’s representatives, its party president Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman and his deputy Amira Aisya Abdul Aziz, who are both serving their respective constituencies, albeit not being locals there.

She said even though Syed Saddiq is not from Muar, people could see his track record as the Muar MP.

“And so too in the case of Amira. See how they served. We carry that kind of work behaviour, that kind of accountability and integrity.

“Because what we want to bring is the politics of values, policy and service.”

Education and eco-tourism

Meanwhile, speaking about her plans for Tanjong Karang, Rahayu told Malaysiakini that she has a list of issues that would be focused on, should she be given the mandate to be its MP.

Topping the list is education, which the 41-year-old described as an aspect that can be improved to improve the future of its people.

“Secondly, I see that many of the fisherfolks and paddy farmers here are still being left behind from development.

“Studies need to be done, and we also need to look into the issue of safety nets for this group. The country has been facing a food security problem, but why are they not taking good care of the people who can provide food security?

“I am not saying that the authorities are not doing anything. But it is not wrong for us to relook into these issues. Because, if we are to compare with Thailand, our farmers here have been left far behind,” she said.

According to Rahayu, Tanjong Karang also has the potential to be developed as an eco-tourism hub.

Sharing the same coastline with Sekinchan, an eco-tourism destination, the candidate said Tanjong Karang should also be able to tap into the market.

Rahayu also promised that she would work towards improving Tanjong Karang's infrastructure and internet connectivity.

All these plans are contingent on beating the odds on Nov 19.

Five days into campaigning, it is still an uphill battle for her to beat a seasoned politician from BN, Habibah, PN’s Zukafperi Hanapi who lost in GE14 with a small margin, Gerakan Tanah Air’s Azlan Sani Zawawi and independent candidate Mohd Rosni Mastol.

So, for now, her focus is to turn the warm Tanjung Karang smiles into votes.

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