Tussle for Perlis has BN on backfoot

ARAU, Perlis - The Barisan Nasional (BN) alliance risks losing Perlis for the first time in Malaysia’s upcoming general election, after it axed an influential Umno warlord from its candidate list and he opted to contest for rival opposition coalition Perikatan Nasional (PN).

Former Perlis chief minister and four-term BN lawmaker Shahidan Kassim was dropped from the BN candidate list by Umno president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi and later expelled from the party for contesting for the opposition.

This sets the scene for a fierce battle in Arau, where Datuk Seri Shahidan will defend his parliamentary seat against his former party colleague and corporate executive Rozabil Abdul Rahman, and 28-year-old Pakatan Harapan (PH) newcomer and doctor of social and behavioural science Fathin Amelina Fazlie.

Mr Sabri Zakaria, who heads the PN command centre for Arau, said: “Perlis is a small place and the people follow their MP, not the party. Mr Shahidan has always helped us with our problems, regardless of race or religion, and many of our children have grown up attending his parties and seeing him in our homes during Hari Raya. He has the people’s loyalty.”

Since Malaysia’s independence, Perlis, the country’s northernmost and smallest state, has mostly been ruled and represented in Parliament by BN. The BN stronghold of about 195,000 voters contributes only three parliamentary seats to the federal Parliament, but is also holding elections for 15 seats in the state assembly at the same time as

the general election on Nov 19.

Competition for those seats is heating up, with the Padang Besar and Kangar federal constituencies seeing five-cornered fights for the first time. Another 60 candidates will battle for the 15 state seats.

A popular figure in Arau since he first became its MP in 1986, Mr Shahidan stands a high chance of winning that fight. He will also wield considerable influence on the outcome in the other seats.

Residents The Straits Times spoke to said Mr Shahidan is well known for handing out cash to residents who approach him for help. “It has become the culture here. People expect cash from Mr Shahidan, and they get it,” said Dr Salina Asi, a faculty member from the school of computer and communication engineering at the University Malaysia Perlis (UniMap). “It will be very difficult for the other candidates to beat him.”

At a press conference on Thursday, Mr Shahidan said he is confident of winning the Arau seat by securing between 35,000 and 37,000 votes. He also expects PN to win at least 10 state seats, including the Bintong seat occupied by BN’s caretaker menteri besar Azlan Man.

Mr Shahidan said he had yet to decide on a new party, but did not rule out the possibility of joining the religious right-wing Parti Islam SeMalaysia (PAS), which is part of PN together with Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia. Depending on which party leader becomes menteri besar if PN wins the state election, Perlis could become the fourth state to come under PAS leadership after Kelantan, Terengganu and Kedah.

While visiting farmers during one of his walkabouts in the paddy fields, Mr Shahidan said his main reason for contesting for PN is to take advantage of its political machinery to unite the Malays on a common platform.

“Our country is 70 per cent Malay, we cannot disunite them too much. Our people want political and economic stability, which requires a strong and united Malay population. This, in turn, will help the economy,” he said.

Still, Mr Shahidan’s plans have alienated some ethnic minority voters and driven them to other camps.

A 70-year-old retired Chinese fisherman, who wanted to be known as Ah Wen, said he is planning to vote for PH. “While the Chinese community also enjoyed Shahidan’s cash handouts when he was with BN, we can no longer support him because we do not want PAS to lead,” he said.

Creeping discontent after years of stagnant growth and dwindling job opportunities in the state could also work against Mr Shahidan.

Another fisherman, who wanted to be known as Steven, said he hopes PH will be able to address the lack of job opportunities for the younger generation. “There was little change in Perlis when Shahidan ruled under BN. Most people are poor and many of our children are leaving to find work in Singapore and Penang. We need new leaders who can build a future for the youth here.”

Mr Rozabil, the BN parliamentary candidate for Arau, is aware of these concerns and plans to introduce such change.

“For starters, I plan to bring more irrigation infrastructure to help our paddy farmers improve their productivity in the agricultural sector,” he said.

He added that plans to expand into agri-tourism to draw more visitors and grow the locals’ sources of income are also on the cards. “This will bring new investments and create more job opportunities, which will keep more of our young people in Perlis.”