LETTER | A trip to Kuala Selangor finds tepid election mood

LETTER | A few of us went to Kuala Selangor three days ago.

Kuala Selangor is like many small towns in the country. Patchy new developments alongside old shophouses and dwellings. Kampong houses on the fringes.

We saw an abandoned commercial development in the centre of town. We wondered what went wrong. Internet connectivity was bad. Why is it so? , we wondered. We are already into 5G. Has 4G not been extended to the countryside?

Kuala Selangor is at the estuary of the Selangor river where it meets the Straits of Malacca. There are mangrove swamps with all sorts of aquatic creatures like mudskippers and snakes. There are more than 150 varieties of birds including raptors and eagles.

It is famous for fireflies, but we were told that they are fast disappearing. There is a fort first built by the Sultan of Selangor then captured by the Dutch. There is much history. It is a popular resort for local tourism. There are a few small-town hotels.

In all other respects, it is like many small towns in Malaya. A bit of development. A town not really getting anywhere.

We went there to gauge the pulse of election fever and activity.

There was none.

Yes, the BN flags and buntings were out on a massive scale. As was that of Perikatan Nasional (PN). There were relatively few flags from Pakatan Harapan.

There were workers from the different parties unfurling banners and hanging up bunting, flags, and posters. BN chairperson Ahmad Zahid Hamidi says they are not volunteers loyal to the party whose flags they hang, but paid workers who will at different times in the day and night hang the election paraphernalia of different parties.

The BN candidate and his face appeared on a few posters. No others.

It will be a four-cornered fight. Between BN, Harapan, PN, and Gerakan Tanah Air (GTA).

Politically ignorant

It was a hot day, and few people were around. We guessed the town would come alive in the night.

We spoke to a few passers-by - hawkers, civil servants, etc.

And we had coffee at McDonald's. At McDonald's, orders had to be placed through new-fangled machines. We had to enlist the help of young workers at the outlet. A clash of rustic life and technology? Or perhaps just young and old. Interesting!

Most of the younger people seemed quite ignorant of the candidates and quite indifferent to the elections. One lady from Kelantan said she was not going back to vote.

It was too far away, she said. She was selling fruits. Her husband who was a local would vote. But all at that stall did not know who the candidates were. They were more concerned with earning a living.

We spoke to a young official from an election office.

He was more knowledgeable. He said Tengku Zafrul Abdul Aziz was an important person being finance minister. People would vote for him. The Malays would generally vote ‘orang sekaum ’. They would vote only for a Malay candidate.

He said the main issue was the cost of living. 1MDB was not an issue. No correlation is made between corruption, bad planning, bad decisions, and their economic status. The Malays would not vote for a DAP candidate. The Chinese seem to own everything. Very little had changed in the visual economic landscape. The Chinese are the problem; not corruption. Years of conditioning have done their work. DAP and Harapan have their work cut out for them.

The racial demography of Kuala Selangor is 67 percent Malay, 13 percent Indian, and 11 percent Chinese. However, this is not the electoral statistics but of the population.

Friendly people

The people we spoke to were polite and respectful. The stallholders were only concerned about sales. We bought longan, mangoes and jambu air. The mangoes were alright. The jambu air looked tired, and the longan was plucked too early. But we paid for the conversation.

After a while, we gave up on our walkabout. The sun was at its highest. We drove around taking photographs. And we went to a seafood restaurant for lunch. It was a Chinese restaurant but at that point in time, all the customers were Indian. It fronted the river estuary. There were posters about sighting eagles and fireflies.

The food was good. The fish was fresh. After lunch, we drove around town once more.

Kuala Selangor has picturesque aspects. Bits of it reminded us of how Malaya was when we were young. Driving through rural roads, Malay kampongs, Chinese, and Indian villages, rest houses with Hainanese chefs. People are simple and friendly. Everyone is respected. The three of us were ‘uncle’ to everyone.

Not very much had changed in the last 30 years. Some prefer it this way. Unspoilt countryside. If only that were true. Some development has taken place, haphazard planning, garish hotels replaced graceful rest houses. Vehicular traffic has increased, but roads seem to be alright. The absence of shady trees increased the impact of the heat.

The contrast with the modern skyline of KL could not be greater, Was poverty an issue here? Of course, towns are not cities. But there is poverty in KL too.

So much is promised to the people in all the manifestos. We know from experience delivery is a problem. Promises are forgotten. Or made insincerely. As one politician said the pledges were made with no real intention of delivering because they had no belief that they would win.

So, you promise everything - the earth, moon and sky. With no real sincerity and no intention to deliver. The objective is to win elections.

Simple folk

Most of the rural folk are simple trusting folk. They are fatalistic, believing that everything is willed by God. There is no anger in them about failed politicians and broken promises.

They also have short memories. And are taken in by politicians who come to them just before the elections - shake their hands and thrust wads of cash into the palms of their hands. All sorts of promises are made.

About 6.9 million new voters have been added to the rolls. Most have not voted before. About 1.6 million are between 18 to 21. How many of them will turn out to vote? The best estimates say about 40 percent!

Most seem indifferent to the elections. Some recognise the importance of the elections but do not believe that their vote will make a difference.

To a large extent, race determines who you vote for. Minorities will try their luck relying on the strength of party support. The multiparty contests with independents to boot will split the vote and may produce surprising results.

There is disaffection in all parties. Some party stalwarts were not selected to contest. Some accepted the decision gracefully and some crossed over to another party.

Khairy Jamaluddin was not given his own seat and was required to look for a seat elsewhere. He chose Sungai Buloh. He has proclaimed his intention to become prime minister someday. After Ismail Sabri!

Vote for me - he says, I will reform Umno! Raman is the Harapan candidate. He is a former MIC treasurer and R Sivarasa the Rhodes scholar was dropped. A Harapan safe seat is now at risk.

Former Klang MP Charles Santiago, a water and climate change expert, was dropped. Why? It looks like the leadership of all parties will not tolerate independent minds. Autocratic parties struggling for democratic rights!

Post-election it is predictable that BN and PAS will come together. Perhaps PN as well. Harapan will need 100 seats to stay in contention. Rafizi says 80 seats are certain. Anwar says 100. We have heard such predictions before.

The ceramah and walkabouts continue. Each will provide some insights. And analysis after analysis.

The skies are often downcast. They reflect the mood of many. We then returned home.

We drove back through heavy downpours. And before long there were floods in Shah Alam.

This is Malaysia today, Wonderful Malaysia.

The views expressed here are those of the author/contributor and do not necessarily represent the views of Malaysiakini.