Don’t ignore us, warn the Chinese
Stephanie Sta Maria, Free Malaysia Today
Peter Yap is a staunch Pakatan Rakyat supporter. He also has the ears of the Chinese community in Kampung Asam Kumbang. And when a by-election is around the corner, his vote carries a staggering amount of weight.
Kampung Asam Kumbang is a predominantly Chinese new village, five minutes from Hulu Selangor’s principal district of Kuala Kubu Baru. Of the 588 households there, 95 percent are Chinese and the rest, Indians.
Unapologetically decked out in DAP flags and banners, Yap’s home stands out like a swatch of colour in a black and white movie. But the former Kampung Asam Kumbang branch chairman nurses a deep resentment towards the party.
“DAP was struggling financially during the campaigning for the 2008 general election,” he remembered. “K A Ramu (a DAP candidate who ran for and lost the Kuala Kubu Baru seat in 2008) and I pooled our money to help them. We even went door-to-door to collect votes on Pakatan’s behalf.”
When Pakatan won the Selangor seat, however, DAP bit the hand that fed the party. Yap’s application to renew his position as branch chairman was rejected and he was instead instructed to open a branch in Taman Bukit Bunga. He refused.
“We dug the well and DAP drank all the water,” he said angrily. “When Pakatan won the seat, I thought it meant a better life for the people in my constituency. I was wrong.”
“The state government made no move to fix even the most basic of problems like dilapidated signboards and poor drainage. How could we expect them to tackle the more serious issues of land titles and economic development?”
While Yap readily acknowledged that the Chinese community is nowhere near as marginalised as the Indians and Orang Asli, he warned that they don’t take kindly to being ignored.
