Padang Serai folk still excited to cast their votes on Dec 7

While the federal government has finally been formed five days after the 15th general election, Padang Serai is facing a delayed by-election due to the death of one of the candidates two days before the nation went to the polls on Nov 19.

Pakatan Harapan’s incumbent candidate for Padang Serai, M Karupaiya, 69, collapsed on the campaign trail on Nov 14 and passed away the following day.

This forced the Election Commission (EC) to postpone the polling for the constituency to Dec 7 instead.

But even as the heat from GE15 has yet to subside, the spirit of Padang Serai voters remains high, as many people Malaysiakini spoke to are anxiously waiting to cast their votes.

The sentiment on the ground showed that many have already made up their minds on who they would vote for, or at least the criteria they would consider when voting in the upcoming by-election.

Mohd Hakim Zailani, 30, a clothing seller at the Padang Serai morning market, said he, his sibling and his parents will support Muhyiddin Yassin as the Perikatan Nasional (PN) leader provided a lot of welfare help to the people when he was the prime minister during the Covid-19 pandemic.

“He has the heart to help the poor and less fortunate. Helping the poor is much more important than wasting the fund by giving or subsidising the rich. It is a mere waste and Muhyiddin helped the poor, and the government money never went to the rich.

“Muhyiddin and PN have proved that they administered the country very well during the movement control order,” said Hakim from Lunas, Kulim.

A 63-year-old sundry shop owner in Lunas old town, identified only as Chee said he is waiting to cast his vote on Dec 7.

“I will vote to support the new government as I want to see a stable government with a strong economy and a better Malaysia for all,” he said.

For Umi, 46, who is a food stall owner in Jalan Lunas, she said she will support a candidate who can bring development to Padang Serai as the constituency lacks many public facilities.

She said better public transportation is important for the residents here as well as a sports complex that will cater for the youths in the constituency.

“One important thing is the flood mitigation project for Padang Serai as many of the constituencies are inundated with water during the floods, so flood mitigation projects will reduce the burden of the people during the rainy season,” she added.

Meanwhile, first-time voter P Harindran, 21, said he is excited to vote but would refer to his parents in terms of who he would choose.

“My parents told me to vote for a certain candidate and I prefer to follow their guidance in voting as they have a vast knowledge of politics and governance.

Different sentiment

However, not everyone was excited about the idea of going out to vote.

Mohamad Hashim, 60, a self-employed from Taman Mahsuri, Padang Serai, said he believes the Malays will not come out to cast their votes as they are lazy to go out on the polling day.

“If the majority of the Malays don’t leave their house to vote, then it would be an advantage for Harapan as the Chinese and the Indians, whether rain or shine, will go out to cast their votes and I believe Harapan will have an advantage, moreover Harapan already formed the unity government.

“However, Padang Serai was a Harapan stronghold for the last two elections,” he added.

Amran Amir, 47, from Taman Lagenda, also in Padang Serai, said he is not keen on voting as he has no interest in politics as he never reads or watches political news on TV.

He said he is happy watching football but will support any elected government that will bring development to the nation.

The election for the Padang Serai parliamentary seat will see a six-cornered fight between Mohamad Sofee Razak (Harapan), C Sivarraajh (BN), Azman Nasrudin (Perikatan Nasional), Hamzah Abdul Rahman (Pejuang), Bakri Hashim (Warisan) and Sreanandha Rao (Independent).

Sofee is the Kedah PKR secretary and a lawyer. Sivarraajh is the MIC vice-president and a businessperson.

Azman is currently the Lunas state assemblyperson and an exco-member of the Kedah government. Azman defected from PKR in 2020 and joined Bersatu.

Bakri, meanwhile, is still considered a candidate although he had announced his withdrawal.

As reported by Bernama recently, returning officer Abdul Bari Abdullah said according to EC regulations, a candidate cannot withdraw once his nomination was accepted.

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