Anwar, Nizar sway Kalumpang Chinese
By: Stephanie Sta Maria, Free Malaysia Today
HULU SELANGOR: Kampung Baru Sejantong in Kalumpang came alive last night as residents relished the privilege of being Pakatan Rakyat’s first dinner guests in its campaign kick-off.
The three bigwigs scheduled to make an appearance were PKR’s candidate Zaid Ibrahim, Anwar Ibrahim and Nizar Jamaluddin.
By evening, 35 tables had been laid in the little hall and a banner welcoming Zaid was strung between two lamp posts.
As dusk fell, people began filling up the seats. Most of those inside the hall were older gentlemen, while the women and the younger crowd opted to sit outdoors.
It would be too easy to assume that most of them turned up for the food, but many were unequivocal in their support for Pakatan.
The owner of Nam Fong Coffee Shop, one of the two coffeeshops in the village, flashed the thumbs-up when asked whether he was happy with the opposition candidate.
“Banyak bagus! (Very good!)” he asserted. “BN and MIC have done nothing for us here. Datuk G promised us RM10,000 for development but we never saw the money. Now they have a new candidate but he is also Indian and we don’t trust the MIC anymore.”
Oddly enough he didn’t unleash a similar rant on the previous MP, the late Dr Zainal Abidin Ahmad, whose illness prevented him from serving the district satisfactorily.
Another resident confirmed the zero support for BN in the village, saying that no one would have turned up if the ruling coalition were the dinner hosts that night.
“We have heard the empty promises and we are tired of them,” he said simply.
Nizar was the first to arrive to a rousing welcome from the crowd.
Taking the stage, the former Perak menteri besar declared that the people’s message for BN is that it has planted seeds of racism in the hearts of Malaysians and is therefore not wanted any longer.
“The future of politics in Malaysia is respect and racial tolerance, and it will start with Hulu Selangor!” he boomed, to a roar of approval from the crowd.
“Zaid has principles and Umno fired him because he stood up to its racist policies. It is our duty to depart from these policies and set an example for other states in Malaysia.”
