Local boy out to make good in Alor Setar

WITH just three days to polling for the 15th General Election, candidates are making one final push to win over voters.

In Kedah – a swing state and important Malay heartland – all eyes are on Barisan Nasional’s MCA candidate and Alor Setar boy Tan Chee Hiong, who is vying for the state capital seat.

If elected as Alor Setar’s new MP, Tan said he aimed to infuse new life into the city which he claimed had been neglected over the last decade.

“The city has many interesting places.

“If these places are developed properly, we can transform Alor Setar into a major tourist attraction in the north,” he said during a meet-and-greet session with the media in Alor Setar.

Tan, a 43-year-old who was born and raised in Simpang Kuala, feels that since his roots are local, he can better understand bread-and-butter issues affecting constituents.

The businessman said Pekan Melayu and Pekan Cina between Tanjung Chali and Sungai Kedah, for example, had plenty of tourism and business potential.

Pekan Melayu and Pekan Cina, located in the same area, were said to have been in existence since 1900 and used to be major trading ports in Kedah.

Tan, who is Alor Setar MCA division chairman, said that besides tourism, he also wished to see Alor Setar become a major agricultural hub in the region.

“Kedah is known as the rice bowl of Malaysia, so it is important to ensure that we can improve our rice output,” he said.

He also wants to revitalise industries, solve flash flood problems and help the homeless in the city as well as improve living conditions at low-cost housing units in Simpang Kuala and Taman Gunung Sari.

He has been entrusted to recapture the Alor Setar seat which has been held by Pakatan Harapan for the past two terms.

GE15 will be Tan’s first foray in the elections.

“I believe the party has a fighting chance as the people realise who can provide them with the best service.

“Based on feedback from the ground over the past four years, the public has expressed a desire for change,” he said.

Kedah is a swing state, judging from the four previous general elections.

Alor Setar was a Barisan stronghold and traditional seat for MCA. It was held by former MCA vice-president Tan Sri Chor Chee Heung from 1990 to 2013. Alor Setar is also Chor’s hometown.

PKR’s Gooi Hsiao Leung broke Barisan’s monopoly of the seat by defeating Chor in 2013.

The coveted seat of Alor Setar was then retained by another PKR man, Chan Ming Kai, in 2018.

Both PKR men were parachute candidates and not locals.

This Saturday, Tan will square off against Perikatan Nasional-PAS’ Afnan Hamimi Taib Azamuddin, 41, and Datuk Mohamad Nuhairi Rahmat, 45, of Gerakan Tanah Air-Pejuang.

Also in the fray are Warisan’s Datuk Fadzil Hanafi, 65, Pakatan Harapan-PKR’s Simon Ooi, 38, and two Independent candidates – former state Works Department director Datuk Nordin Yunus, 69, and former civil servant Sofan Feroza Md Yusup, 43.

Tan thanked the Barisan coalition leadership for trusting him to represent them.

“The Chinese community have been warming up to me and have told me they wanted a local representing them.

“I am also confident of getting support from the Malays who form the bulk of voters in Alor Setar.

“From the total number of voters, 63% are Malays and 31.69% Chinese,” he said.

Businessman A. Ananda, 58, said he preferred a local like Tan to be the constituency’s representative.

“I feel that he will be able to bring development to the city,” said Ananda, who lives in Jalan Langgar.

Senior citizen Heng Siew Kim, 70, said Alor Setar needed a local leader who could bring stability.

“Only through stability can the city prosper and reach greater heights,” said Heng.

Sharing the same sentiments was housewife Hei Khoon Hwa, 53, who said Tan knew the community well.

Student Izznabil Ibrahim, 23, who will be voting for the first time, wants a local leader who will voice issues concerning youths in Parliament.

“This GE15 is important as it will shape the future of youths,” he said.