In Lembah Pantai, Fahmi tackles some unwavering BN resistance

GE15 | Sitting on the border of Kuala Lumpur and Selangor, Lembah Pantai is a constituency chock-full of contradictions.

Driving down one end could lead you past People’s Housing Project (PPR) flats, while at the other end, high rises and a burgeoning middle-class community.

Like in other parts of the city, the less affluent sections of Lembah Pantai have been hit harder by the Covid-19 pandemic and floods.

PKR’s Fahmi Fadzil, the one-term incumbent MP, has been distributing aid to residents in low-income neighbourhoods throughout the pandemic and more recently, he made his rounds engaging with residents there on the 15th general election (GE15) campaign trail.

These areas are crucial for Fahmi, because they represent the last BN bastions in the constituency, and could harm his chances for victory on Nov 19.

In 2018, he won with a majority of 5,598 votes, less than 10 percent of the total votes, even as votes against him were split between BN’s Raja Nong Chik Zainal Abidin and PAS’ Fauzi Abu Bakar.

In fact, the difference between the number of voters who opted for Fahmi and those who voted against him in GE14 was merely 321, making Lembah Pantai a marginal seat for Pakatan Harapan.

Met on the campaign trail, Fahmi expressed hope that his service in the past four years has left a positive impression on voters in areas where it was previously hard to make headway.

“It’s hard to say. We have done consistent work on the ground throughout the four years, even despite the lockdowns and the Enhanced Movement Control Order (EMCO) that was done in five areas of Lembah Pantai, as well as the floods in Kampung Pasir.

“I would like to imagine that over the last four years, there are those who have seen the way we have been running things, the way we try to solve problems, the way that we address and attend to issues raised by residents,” he said.

Taking over from Nurul Izzah

Fahmi, a writer and theatre practitioner who trained as an engineer, received the Lembah Pantai baton from Nurul Izzah Anwar, whom he had served as an aide when he first entered politics.

During the 12th general election in 2008, Nurul Izzah caused an upset when she wrested the seat from political heavyweight and then Wanita Umno chief Shahrizat Ab Jalil, who was the Lembah Pantai MP from 1995.

Even after Nurul served a full term as MP, the PKR vice-president was unwelcomed in many polling districts held by BN when she campaigned for re-election during the 13th general election in 2013.

“I remember, in 2013, for example, Nurul Izzah could not go to certain places, because of the kind of aggression that was employed at the time, the kind of thuggery at that time,” Fahmi said.

But the same hostility was absent in 2018 when Fahmi campaigned in the BN strongholds, mostly located in the Pantai Dalam and Kerinchi areas.

“Actually, in 2018, we won in one area for the very first time since we (PKR) contested in Lembah Pantai in 1999 so that’s a good start,” he said.

In the last general election, PKR lost in several voting districts within the seat - Kampung Haji Abdullah Hukum, Bukit Kerinchi, Taman Bukit Angkasa, Kampung Pantai Halt, Kampung Pasir and Petaling Selatan.

In those areas, BN received the majority vote while PAS performed more poorly than PKR.

Pockets of BN strongholds

Venturing into such parts of the constituency on the campaign trail, BN’s presence is made clear, with stalls and PPR flats carrying the coalition’s flags and banners.

There, Malaysiakini met a shopkeeper in his 50s who lived in Kampung Pasir for a few decades and identified himself as Mat.

He conceded that while the incumbent MP has made his presence known in the past four years, Mat still preferred the BN candidate Ramlan Askolani.

“Ramlan is a good man, caring. He gave back to the country before, right? As a football player in Kuala Lumpur. Now he wants to help BN take this seat back,” Mat said.

Ramlan was a former footballer for the Kuala Lumpur team and is the current Lembah Pantai Umno division chief.

Another resident in her 30s voting in the Bukit Kerinchi district, who wished to be identified as Aishah, expressed her distrust of the promises made by PKR.

“I don’t believe in Fahmi or in PKR’s promises. Yes, it’s true that for many years, our housing area was not developed and now it’s improved, but there are still many jobless people and we have to use the EPF savings just to survive.

“Whether it’s BN or Harapan, our life is a struggle and I think politicians don’t help,” said Aishah, who works as a toll operator.

Despite this, she feels that all things considered, returning power to BN may solve the issues faced by Lembah Pantai constituents - such as the rising cost of living.

Fear of another Sheraton Move

KK, an IT consultant in his 30s, has family ties to the Lembah Pantai constituency. While he expressed overall support for Fahmi’s performance as an MP, he raised concerns over a recurrence of incidents like the Sheraton Move.

“I think Fahmi is good. He seems dynamic and I hope he will make a difference in the future. But the problem is - who do we trust?

“Because not too long ago, I believed that (former PKR deputy president) Azmin (Ali) was good and looked up to him. But see what happened there.

“So, to make his stand clear, I think Fahmi should be bold in speaking up on issues that affect the rakyat and be less diplomatic,” said KK, who said a few of his cousins will also be voting in Lembah Pantai.

Even if Fahmi is unable to turn these BN strongholds from blue to red, he may again rely on splits among anti-Harapan voters, to pave his way to victory.

Besides Fahmi and BN’s Ramlan, Lembah Pantai is also being contested by PAS’ Fauzi - this time under the Perikatan Nasional banner - and Pejuang’s Noor Asmah Mohd Razalli.

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