Vote with eyes open, Port Dickson locals tell Tambun folk

Some voters in Port Dickson have voiced disappointment with their incumbent MP, Anwar Ibrahim, saying name and influence are no guarantee of a good representative even as the PKR chief gears up for an election race in a completely different state this time around. 

Those who spoke to MalaysiaNow said Anwar had rarely gone down to the ground to meet with the people since winning the seat in a 2018 by-election that paved his return to Parliament following his pardon and release from prison. 

Sulaiman Dolah, 58, said MPs should engage with the people and fulfil their election vows. 

"He was here for one term but there have been no changes," he said. 

"It was all talk. Even if he did go down to the ground, without development and progress, this too would be pointless." 

Adding that Anwar did not seem to have spoken on behalf of his constituency in Parliament, Sulaiman said he now took the promises of politicians, regardless of party, with a hefty pinch of salt. 

"The important thing is for representatives to be responsible and to continuously monitor the development of the people," he said. 

Anwar won the Port Dickson seat in a by-election triggered by the resignation of its MP at the time, Daniyal Balagopal Abdullah.

Daniyal, who won the seat on a PKR ticket at the 14th general election (GE14), stepped down to allow Anwar to contest it in his stead, paving the way for the opposition leader's return to Parliament. 

Anwar secured 23,560 votes, beating his opponent Mohd Nazari Mokhtar of PAS who won only 7,456.

At the 15th general election on Nov 19, however, Anwar will be contesting the seat of Tambun in Perak instead. 

Political appointees?

Among the issues raised by the locals was the appointment of village chiefs whom they said were political appointees by Pakatan Harapan (PH). 

"The village heads are all their people," Sulaiman said. 

"Without pull, it's very hard to meet any of them," he added, recalling an incident in which he tried asking for help after his shop was razed in a fire. 

According to the 2020 census, Port Dickson has just under 129,000 residents. Of these, 69.4% are Bumiputera while the Chinese and Indian communities represent 23.2% and 6.7% respectively. 

The army vote is also expected to play a big role in the area, which is known as a military town. 

Grave digger Razali Ishak, 61, said the attitude of parties could be seen at the cemetery. 

"When people die here, the village chief never shows his face," he said. 

"Those who come are from Barisan Nasional. Sometimes representatives from PKR come, but only when they are invited." 

For him, ongoing challenges for the Port Dickson locals include traffic congestion and insufficient parking, especially on the weekends. 

Anwar to Tambun, Khairy to PD?

Razali agreed with Sulaiman that it was up to Anwar where to contest an election. 

But as the PKR chief pulls up stakes and heads to Tambun for GE15, Razali's personal hope is that Khairy Jamaluddin will contest in Port Dickson instead. 

"Even though he's not a local, the people know who he is," he said. 

"He lasted for three terms in Rembau. In Negeri Sembilan, the state representatives don't do anything. Even the menteri besar, we don't really know who he is." 

Port Dickson is expected to witness a multi-cornered fight at GE15 among BN, PH, Perikatan Nasional and independent candidates. 

But it remains to be seen who will be fielded by each coalition.

Sulaiman, meanwhile, urged constituents in Tambun to vote "with their eyes wide open".

"Remember what happened here," he said. "There's no point in letting history repeat itself."