TELOK KEMANG: A fierce battle is shaping up for the Teluk Kemang parliamentary seat in Negeri Sembilan, where state PKR chairman Kamarul Baharin Abbas will be defending the seat against MIC information chief VS Mogan and Independent candidate Kamaruddin Kumaravel Abdullah.
In the last election, Kamarul trounced MIC’s S Sothinathan, the then incumbent, who had won the seat in the previous polls with a whopping majority of almost 18,000 votes.
Teluk Kemang comprises 42.35% Malay voters, 33.81% Chinese voters, 21.41% Indian voters and 2.43% other voters. The total number of voters in Telok Kemang is 70,524.
In the 2008 general election, Teluk Kemang had 60,186 voters, meaning there had been an increase of 10,338 new voters in Teluk Kemang since then.
FMT spoke to both Kamarul and Mogan regarding their chances of winning the seat.
‘I will retain the seat’
FMT: What is the mood of Teluk Kemang voters during your campaigning?
Kamarul: This time our campaign is more organised. We have our own identity under the name of Pakatan Rakyat. Back in 2008, we fought under separate entities like PKR, PAS and DAP. I noted that the support of Malays towards Pakatan has increased compared to 2008. More Indians are coming to our side. As for the Chinese, everybody knows that they are almost fully behind us (Pakatan).
Since Sothinathan was not named as BN’s candidate, do you expect protest votes from his supporters?
On the BN side, Sothinathan worked regularly in Teluk Kemang for quite some time. We will only know on polling day to what extent his supporters will express their anger towards BN.
What are the main issues in Teluk Kemang?
The funds from the Welfare Department hardly reach (most cases) the poor in villages and estates areas in Teluk Kemang. The assistance to the poor is denied. For example, the money collected by Baitulmal and Zakat Centre (tithe) is not reflected in the amount distributed. What I mean is the collection is very much higher but the distribution of aid to the poor is very less.
When I asked why the (poor) individuals don’t get any assistance, they (the poor) told me nobody offered them the assistance. These poor people don’t know the existence of such assistance and some of them don’t know how to apply for it. The situation is worsened by the red-tape involved.
The cost of living in Teluk Kemang is also getting high. Teluk Kemang becomes the place of pensioners like army pensioners and is no longer a major tourist attraction. We only have local tourists but not the foreign tourists.
Teluk Kemang also lacks proper public infrastructure and the roads are congested. There are insufficient restaurants or food courts. You can see during weekends, how all the restaurants are fully packed and you have to wait for your turn before you can sit.
What are the prominent problems that you have solved in Teluk Kemang?
I solved the flooding problem in Port Dickson (through state government) and also helped many poor people financially. I also helped poor students, including Indian students, obtain scholarships.
What is your opinion about Mogan?
He is a formidable opponent but I’m confident that I can retain Teluk Kemang. However, I don’t underestimate Mogan.
You are contesting in the Ampangan state seat as well. How do you juggle your time campaigning in Teluk Kemang and Ampangan?
Teluk Kemang and Ampangan (Seremban) are not far apart actually. It takes longer to travel from KL to Klang. (He added in jest) Khalid Ibrahim (Selangor menteri besar) is contesting in the Bandar Tun Razak parliamentary seat and Pelabuhan Klang state seat. Those seats are further apart.
‘Voters are with BN’
FMT: What is the mood of the Teluk Kemang voters after nine days of campaigning?
Mogan: The mood among the Teluk Kemang voters is very much aligned to Barisan Nasional. The Indians here fully support BN this time. I am surprised to see that even the Indian youths are throwing their support for me. The Malays are also very happy and give full support to me. I can say most of the voters that I met complain about Kamarul. They are not happy with Kamarul and told me that he hardly turns up at his constituency.
I would say almost 100% of the voters I have met are unhappy with Kamarul’s performance. The support for me is increasing on a daily basis.
Have you encountered any major problems plaguing the Teluk Kemang voters during your campaign trail?
There are no major problems here as the BN state government has taken care of the constituency just like any other constituencies in Negeri Sembilan all this while.
What are you going to do if you are elected as the new Teluk Kemang MP?
Firstly, I see Telok Kemang as an excellent tourism spot. At present, Teluk Kemang is still one of the best tourism attractions in Negeri Sembilan, but I believe I can do more to further uplift the status of Teluk Kemang as one of the popular tourism spots in Malaysia. Public amenities at the public beaches need to be upgraded and added.
I also plan to bring in more factories or create a bigger industrial park to ensure more job opportunities for the locals here.
Are you confident of winning Teluk Kemang?
Yes, of course. I’m confident on the feedback and support I get during my campaign.
