If the support shown last night for PAS’ Dr Lo’ Lo’ Mohd Ghazali was representative of voter sentiments in Kampung Pandan Indian Settlement, the BN may have just lost a few thousand Indian voters in the Titiwangsa parliamentary constituency.

titiwangsa contest 250208 lo lo mohd ghazali For these long-time supporters of BN and MIC, they overcame their hesitation and proclaimed yesterday their allegiance to Lo’ Lo ( right ) and vowed to support the medical doctor's bid to be their member of parliament.

Unlike other places where voter swings have been due mostly to the Hindu Rights Action Force movement against religious and racial discrimination, the residents said they are not as influenced by Hindraf as they are fed up with the empty promises of government and BN officials to resolve their housing woes.

“Since Sulaiman Mohamed won in early 1980s right up to Astaman Abdul Aziz in 2004, our problems have been ignored. What else have we got to lose by supporting PAS after years of voting BN? Nothing. BN leaders have not fulfilled their end of the bargain for our votes,” said local resident K Rajoo, 48.

titiwangsa parliament seat Titiwangsa has more than 49,892 voters, 67 percent of whom are Malays living in Kampung Pandan Dalam while Chinese voters living in Taman Maluri make up 24 percent.

Kampung Pandan Indian Settlement has a population of about 3,000, which is more than half the 9 percent of Indian voters in Titiwangsa.

After a brief dialogue with about 100 residents at the side road off Jalan Kampung Pandan, Lo’ Lo’ officially launched the Kampung Pandan PAS supporters’ club.

Led by local resident and activist K Ramamoorthy, 43, about 50 residents signed up as members and declared their support for the party’s aims to establish a ‘nation of care and opportunity’ as envisioned by the Islamic party.

A memorandum containing a summary of the problems faced by the settlement and their list of demands were later submitted to Lo’ Lo’.

In her remarks, Lo’ Lo’ - one of the few women candidates fielded by PAS - said the only way in which she can help them is if she was elected as their MP.

“I hope I can do something. But if I were just a PAS leader in this area without any power, I cannot,” she said.

“But if we have the power, then we have to responsibility to exercise it. God-willing, we will help,” she added to cheers of approval.

Recognition as lawful owners

Met afterwards, resident R Kanapathy, 47, said that the Kampung Pandan Indian Settlement traces its formal beginnings to the resettlement programmes of the British colonial authorities during the Emergency period.

For decades before that, Indians had lived on the same land until the settlement grew to more than 10,000 people up to the 1980s (see map below).

google earth titiwangsa parliamentary seat

Since then, however, and against the express wishes of its residents to be recognised as lawful landowners and given grants on the land, the authorities’ have only relocated them to various places other places in the Klang Valley such as to Puchong.

“They have ignored all our pleas to recognise us as lawful owners and grant us proper housing as they have done in other areas in Kuala Lumpur. Instead, they have slowly moved out many residents. In the end, Kampung Pandan Indian Settlement is getting smaller and smaller,” said Kanapathy.

Other than the historical value of maintaining Kampung Pandan Indian Settlement, there will also be considerable personal difficulties to face if the remaining residents are forced to uproot from their homes, said Kanapathy.

The residents also question the implications of their relocation would have on the SRJK (T) Kg Pandan Indian Settlement, the Hindu temple as well as the Islamic madrasah which have served the residents well for many decades.

“More than 80 percent of the primary school students come from the Indian settlement. If we move, the temple, the madrasah , and the school will most probably be torn down.

“Are they going to build another Tamil school for us if they move us elsewhere?” asked Kanapathy expressing doubts of that occurring.

Citing a Aug 22, 2007 meeting with MIC president S Samy Vellu, Umno Titiwangsa division head Astaman Aziz and representatives of Kuala Lumpur City Hall and the Federal Territory Ministry, Kanapathy said nothing has come out of the promises by Samy Vellu.

“Samy Vellu told us he is so close to Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi that he can flick Abdullah’s ear. He hasn’t done anything since,” said Rajoo.