GE15: could Zahid become first Umno president to lose his seat?
Incumbent Bagan Datuk MP’s popularity may have suffered following alleged financial scandals, intra-party strife, rise of new voters
(The Vibes) – Five-term MP Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi’s run for his hometown parliamentary constituency could come to an end, given various factors brewing since the last term.
The seat has always been depicted as “Umno’s fortress” and had supposedly benefited greatly from Zahid’s tenure in government.
However, at present, there are external and internal forces working against Zahid, who had only won the seat with a 5,072 vote majority in the last election.
Majority vote gap closing
In 2018, part of Zahid’s victory was due to the Hutan Melintang army camp, which contributed roughly 2,000 votes.
The army camp was built during Zahid’s tenure as defence minister and had been the subject of controversy given its location, which was alleged to benefit Barisan Nasional’s (BN) vote bank in the past.
Despite Zahid reportedly denying the allegations – justifying the construction’s location as strategic between the army facility in Sg Buloh, Selangor and the navy base in Lumut, Perak – the camp was subsequently closed after Pakatan Harapan (PH) took over the federal administration.
It is learnt that the Hutan Melintang army camp was part of the Defence Ministry’s controversial land swap deals.
Previously, a report was lodged by the Defence Ministry, during the PH administration, to the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission against 16 land swap deals done under the BN government, claiming political interference in the military camps’ construction.
The Bagan Datuk seat previously recorded a total of 58,183 registered voters but now has over 15,000 new voters due to Undi18 and automatic voter registration.
The sentiments of youth and new voters, in general, will be tested, bearing concerns for all political parties.
These voter segments are also the ones that BN is having difficulties breaking into, especially as Zahid is now 69 years old and may not be viewed as an appealing choice.
While Zahid is thought to possess strong support within the Javanese and the minority Telugu communities in the constituency, the notion could be challenged with the addition of youth voters.
Underdevelopment fears
Zahid often reiterated the fact that he had brought much development into the newly-formed Bagan Datuk district during his tenure, with another RM4.8 billion worth of investment due before it was cut down to RM900 million by the PH administration.
Some Umno members had come to Zahid’s defence, naming some 22 major development projects that could bring thousands of jobs to the state’s southern part before PH dashed its development.
Despite Zahid’s claims, local residents continue to complain about basic issues such as clogged drains, unlit roads, and garbage collection, which could take up to two weeks per interval.
“There have been talks about setting up tuna processing factories, car manufacturing hubs and many other projects but honestly they have not translated to the locals here.
“Our kids still have to find jobs in Ipoh or Kuala Lumpur.
Also laugh all you want but it is an everyday pain to us having to deal with the poorly-maintained and unlit roads here not to mention something as simple as garbage collection taking weeks to happen.
“No doubt Zahid is a generous man and many have benefitted from his service here but nothing much has changed.
“We are still talking about the same basic problems, so what can we, the simple people do at the end of this situation?,’’ asked a resident from the small kampung of Selekoh who spoke on the condition of anonymity.
