Malaysia election: New versus old politics in Bentong seat

In Bentong, veteran Barisan Nasional politician Liow Tiong Lai (left) goes up against Ms Young Syefura Othman from the Democratic Action Party. PHOTOS: LIOW TIONG LAI/FACEBOOK, YOUNG SYEFURA OTHMAN/FACEBOOK

BENTONG, Pahang - In the hilly constituency of Bentong, Pahang, the scene is set for a fight between old and new, as veteran Barisan Nasional (BN) politician Liow Tiong Lai goes up against Ms Young Syefura Othman, a Malay woman almost half his age from the Democratic Action Party (DAP).

Tan Sri Liow, 61, a former Malaysian Chinese Association (MCA) president who was Bentong’s MP for almost 20 years, hopes to make a comeback after the semi-urban parliamentary seat was lost to the Chinese-dominated DAP in 2018 after six decades in MCA hands.

On the other hand, Ms Syefura, 32, represents a shift in DAP’s offering of lawmakers, and is one of three young Malay women on the party’s slate.

The party is fielding nine candidates from the Malay majority, compared with just one at the last parliamentary election in 2018.

Ms Syefura told The Straits Times that she hopes young Malaysians aged from 18 years who are eligible to vote for the first time in the Nov 19 General Election will choose “new politics” over “old politics”.

“We want clean politics, anti-corruption politics, with fresh ideas,” she told The Straits Times. “It is not about race or religion any more,” she said.

Better-known as Rara, the incumbent assemblyman for Ketari, one of four state constituencies under the Bentong seat, was treated like a celebrity when she had breakfast at a coffee shop here last week.

Retiree Kwek Siew Chun, 75, who was enjoying a meal with friends at the kopitiam, excitedly offered Rara a bowl of her longan dessert.

“I am very proud of Rara... DAP is the one that can represent the interests of the non-Malays,” Madam Kwek told ST.

DAP candidate Young Syefura Othman (fourth from right) is offered a bowl of longan tong sui by Bentong voter Madam Kwek Siew Chun at a kopitiam in Kampung Perting. ST PHOTO: HAZLIN HASSAN

Both the DAP and BN will also need to court Malay voters, who make up 50.8 per cent of the 87,058 constituents.

When parts of Bentong were badly hit by floods last December, restaurant manager Zainol Zakaria, 45, said that DAP helped him recover from the disaster.

“I will vote for DAP for sure, as they helped me a lot when my house was flooded. BN just kept quiet,” he told ST.

Lawyer Balwinder Singh, 38, however, said that Mr Liow, a former minister for transport and health, is active in the community, and served Bentong well when he was MP from 1999 to 2018.

He expects the realignment of the East Coast Rail Link track to Bentong from Seremban, which Mr Liow said he fought for, to benefit residents and reduce traffic congestion.

“We need leaders like this to transform this town,” Mr Singh told ST.

Bentong BN candidate Liow Tiong Lai taking a selfie with a group of youths at a 3x3 basketball tournament in Bentong, Pahang. PHOTO: LIOW TIONG LAI/TWITTER

Mr Liow said BN has the necessary experience to bring stability and development.

“The people in Bentong regard me as a family member... I am back here now to serve them, so that we can prosper Bentong, and the problems of people in Bentong will be taken care of,” he said.

Incumbent MP Wong Tack, 63, defeated Mr Liow by more than 2,000 votes in 2018.

He is now contesting in the seat as an independent candidate after being dropped by the DAP, and his entry risks splitting the Chinese vote and costing DAP the seat.

But DAP hopes its move to position itself as more multiracial than Chinese-led could go some way towards pulling in Malay votes.

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