GEORGE TOWN: After weeks of intense campaigning, Perikatan Nasional has the right to brag about being able to retain Sungai Bakap despite an onslaught mounted by the federal and state ruling coalition.
With the incumbency advantage at both the federal and state levels, Pakatan Harapan was supposed to give Perikatan a close fight in this laid-back, agrarian constituency.
But when the votes were finally tallied on Saturday night, Perikatan, or PAS per se, had tripled its winning majority from the 1,563 it attained in the 2023 state elections to 4,267 votes.
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Perikatan’s candidate Abidin Ismail polled 14,489 votes against Pakatan’s Dr Joohari Ariffin, who secured 10,222 votes.
Perikatan did this with a lower turnout of voters in all eight of the constituency’s polling districts (PDM).
But as pointed out by several politicians involved in the campaign, it signalled that the results were more of a protest against the unity government than a vote of confidence for the opposition coalition.
The dissatisfaction was primarily about two issues – that residents here had to pay more for treated water even when the taps in many households would slow to a trickle during peak hours, and the rise in prices of goods following the restructuring of diesel subsidies.
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Going by the numbers in the constituency’s eight PDMs, Perikatan captured all but one of them.
The Opposition coalition, which has always had trouble getting non-Muslim support, even managed to capture the Sungai Bakap PDM, known for its large population of Chinese and Indian voters, with a 145-vote majority.
Compounding Pakatan’s troubles, its leaders said that only between 47% and 49% of Chinese voters – its core base of supporters – turned out to vote.
This is despite the fact that turnout was predicted to be high due to the three-day weekend.
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Instead, there was a drop of between 10% and 13% in turnout among Chinese and Indian voters, causing Pakatan to lose about 1,000 to 2,000 votes in the process.
This allowed Perikatan to hold on to Padang Lalang, Tasek Junjong, Sungai Duri, Ladang Sempah, Sungai Kechil and Kampung Besar PDMs, with a winning majority of between 288 and 2,056 votes.
Pakatan could only cling on to Puteri Gunong, a PDM which it won with a 369-vote majority.
These losses were despite the fact that the ruling coalition pulled out all stops to win over Sungai Bakap’s more than 39,000 voters.
Cabinet ministers came calling almost on a daily basis, to the point that Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi was even accused of breaking election laws when he proposed a senior citizens’ activity centre and a new Tamil school if Pakatan won.
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Penang Deputy Chief Minister I Datuk Dr Mohamad Abdul Hamid, who jointly led campaign operations, said a win for Pakatan would guarantee a RM300,000 to RM400,000 annual allocation for the constituency as compared to the RM60,000 allocated to a state assemblyman from an Opposition party.
Both the federal and state governments also pledged to finally solve the area’s water troubles just days before nomination day.
A new dissolved air flotation (DAF) water treatment plant had been completed in Bukit Panchor, Nibong Tebal, which could produce an additional 10 million litres per day (MLD) to about 1,500 consumer accounts, especially in Sungai Bakap.
On the same day, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim also announced a RM4bil Federal Government project that would see Perak supplying water to Seberang Perai.
But as pointed out by Penang Pakatan chairman Chow Kon Yeow, these announcements all came to naught as voters were still unconvinced.
No matter how convincing Pakatan’s ceramah speakers were, their words were no relief for the pain of higher living costs.
Other observers speculate that political fatigue was also a reason why many did not return to vote as they knew the outcome would have no bearing over who controls the state government.
All is not lost for Pakatan as the water supply issues have been ironed out even though it would take a few years before consumers will feel a difference.
As political commentator Jeff Ooi rightly put it, Sungai Bakap is about 20 minutes away from Batu Kawan, a growing township boasting the latest hi-tech industrial park in Penang.
With job security and higher wages, nearby Sungai Bakap can be transformed into a modern suburb for Batu Kawan’s workers and their families.
If the unity government at the state and federal level can provide this along with better education, healthcare and affordable food, then it may have another chance to take back Sungai Bakap in future elections.
