Hot seats: Three seats under Kepala Batas are up for grabs – Bertam, Pinang Tunggal and Penaga. — LIM BENG TATT/The Star
KEPALA BATAS: Long considered a secure bastion for Barisan Nasional, the Kepala Batas parliamentary seat fell to a rival for the first time in almost 50 years in the 15th General Election (GE15) last year.
Nobody expected former minister Datuk Seri Reezal Merican Naina Merican to lose the seat, which has long been synonymous with former premier Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi.
In GE15, Reezal Merican lost to Penang PAS Muslimat deputy chief Dr Siti Mastura Muhammad.
In the upcoming state polls, it’ll be time for redemption for the Umno supreme council member who is expected to stand in Bertam, one of the three state seats under Kepala Batas. The other two seats are Pinang Tunggal and Penaga.
Reezal Merican is no stranger to the seat, as he was a two-term Kepala Batas MP.
He stands a good chance of wresting the seat from Perikatan Nasional’s incumbent Khaliq Mehtab Mohd Ishaq.
Khaliq Mehtab, from Bersatu, was kicked out of the Penang state assembly under its anti-hopping law.
He “lost” the seat after Bersatu left Pakatan following the Sheraton Move in February 2020, based on the anti-hopping provision in Article 14A of the state constitution.Barring any last-minute changes, caretaker Penang Deputy Chief Minister 1 Datuk Ahmad Zakiyuddin Abdul Rahman will be Pakatan Harapan’s choice for the Pinang Tunggal seat.
He won the semi-urban seat by a mere margin of 127 votes against Barisan’s Datuk Roslan Saidin and PAS’ Bukhori Ghazali in 2018.
In the upcoming state polls, Bukhori is expected to stand in his way again.
Both Ahmad Zakiyuddin and Reezal Merican were deemed deputy chief minister candidates should they emerge victorious in the state election.
Thus, an explosive encounter is on the cards between Reezal Merican and Khaliq Mehtab. But in the case of Ahmad Zakiyuddin, he has to face the onslaught of a “green wave”.
It is believed that voters there are still upset with his plan to build a centralised labour quarters (CLQ) in Bertam.
Although the project did not materialise, it had caused some unhappiness among Malay professionals living in nearby Pinang Tunggal as they had been concerned about an influx of illegal foreign workers.
When contacted, Ahmad Zakiyuddin said he believes there is still a feel-good mood on the ground.
“We can do well in Bertam and Pinang Tunggal,” he said.
Khaliq Mehtab, a practising lawyer, said the party is well received by the voters there.
“The voters are receptive to us. We have shown that we were a clean and caring government that offered stability when we were part of the administration,” he said.
Penaga, with over 90% Malay voters, looks likely to be retained by Perikatan.
Its incumbent Yusni Mat Piah from PAS, who defeated Umno candidate Datuk Mohd Zain Ahmad in the last election, is confident that the Malays are still sticking with Perikatan.
“Some Chinese who voted for Pakatan in GE15 are also not happy with them working with Umno. This can work in our favour,” he said.
Yusni, who is set to defend the seat, will square off against a fresh face from Umno – Mohd Naim Salleh.
Kubang Menerong Community Management Council chairman Abdullah Chi, 64, said the “green wave” would not cause much problem in Pinang Tunggal.
“The voters here know that over the past five years, we have served them diligently regardless of party, race or religion.
“The unity government has introduced many programmes that have benefited the public,” he said.
Kepala Batas PKR Youth chief Muhammad ‘Adil Mat Aripin, 30, fears the party would lose due to the additional voters from the Undi18 group.
“But since we are now working with Umno, I am sure we can attract voters, especially the younger generation,” he said.
The Election Commission fixed Aug 12 for simultaneous election in Penang, Kedah, Selangor, Negri Sembilan, Kelantan and Terengganu.
Nomination is on July 29 and early voting on Aug 8.
