GEORGE TOWN, May 24 — In their last-minute dash for the finish line, two Independent candidates have been stepping into Barisan Nasional (BN) territory in their bid to sway Malay-Muslim voters to their side.

In the last two weeks of campaigning, Mohd Nabi Bux Mohd Sathar, 63, was regularly spotted dropping in on the wet markets and night markets at Malay-majority areas such as Taman Tun Sardon and Kampung Melayu here.

The retiree, who said he is a PAS member intent on spreading the word on hudud, expressed confidence that he has the backing of the Malay-Muslims who reside in the area.

“I am confident that the voters will support me but tomorrow, like what we Muslims will always say, ‘win or lose, it is all up to God,’” he said when met at the Taman Tun Sardon market this morning.

When asked why he had not visited any other areas in Bukit Gelugor such as Relau, Paya Terubong or Air Itam, he said he preferred to go to areas that Malaysians live in rather than where foreign workers dwell.

“You see, like in Relau, there are a lot of factories and foreign factory workers so no point going there to talk to foreigners and we won’t know who are locals, who are from outstation. So it is best I concentrate in these two areas that I am certain consist of mostly local residents,” he said.

Despite Mohd Nabi’s confidence and his frequent visits to these two areas, his name did not spark instant recognition among the local residents.

Taman Tun Sardon resident Siti Halimah Majid, 60, said she has not seen him before today and believed that he probably would not get many votes.

“Nobody knows who he is, but it is different with DAP, everyone here knows Karpal Singh and we all now know Ramkarpal Singh Deo is his son,” she said.

This morning, the two candidates bumped into each other while making their rounds at Taman Tun Sardon.

The difference in reception to the two could not have been more stark.

Where Mohd Nabi succeeded in walking about with ease, Ramkarpal’s progress on foot was frequently interrupted by passers-by who walked right up for handshakes, photographs and autographs, making full use of the DAP pamphlets that were handed out.

A crowd watches the Bukit Gelugor grand ceramah from outside the packed hall in George Town May 22, 2014. — Picture by K.E. Ooi

The second independent candidate, Abu Backer Sidek Mohammad Zan, appeared to be concentrating his efforts on helping taxi drivers in the state, although he said he is also hopeful for support from fence sitters in the constituency.

The lawyer, who spent the last two days in hospital for an injury to his hips, was seen limping around Bukit Gelugor, leaning heavily on a walking stick.

“I am going to go all over the constituency today and appeal to them to support me,” he said.

Abu Backer had also previously visited Taman Tun Sardon and Kampung Melayu repeatedly.

He later expanded his campaign grounds outside the Malay-majority residential areas, but insisted his campaigning was “sabotaged” as he was barred from holding any ceramah, claiming he was denied the requisite permit.

The 46-year-old however, resorted to loud broadcasts of his ‘campaign messages’ to constituents by way having his own trailer emblazoned with his campaign posters travel all around the constituency accompanied by an entourage of 18 taxis today.

“Penang Chinese are all very smart people, all Chinese people are very smart and intelligent, they are good businessmen, I am successful because I learn to do business from them,”

“So please, clever Penangites, give me a chance, I only ask for three years, after this, you don’t want me, it’s okay, because after three years, I don’t want to contest again or else it will be difficult for me to enter heaven. It’s true, I can’t be an elected representative for long,” he pleaded.

But his messages appear contradictory. In the next breath, he declared that he did not care whether he won or lost in the by-election, even as he pleaded for a chance to represent the people in the constituency.

“I only want to voice out for Penang people but if they don’t want me, sorry then, I better go back to Medina to do my business where I can earn more money,” he said.

On his earlier intention to sue the Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng over his ‘injury’ after he flung himself at the chief minister’s official car, he said he is going to be very magnanimous about it and forgive Lim.

“I don’t have any problem with you, chief minister, I forgive you and I only want to meet you. So anytime you call me, I will come and meet you,” he said.

The Bukit Gelugor parliamentary seat is a four-cornered fight with Parti Cinta Malaysia’s Datuk Huan Cheng Guan being the only party going up against DAP.

Bukit Gelugor has been a stronghold DAP area since the late MP Karpal won it in 2004. He had retained the seat with increasing majorities, achieving 42,706 vote majority in last year’s general election.

The seat was vacated when Karpal was killed in a road crash last month and his third son, a greenhorn in politics, Ramkarpal was picked to contest in the seat.

Though the seat was traditionally a MCA seat, the BN component had decided not to contest in the by-election.

Huan may be aiming to garner some support from those who had voted for MCA in the last general election — MCA’s Teh Beng Yeam had garnered 13,597 votes last general election.

“From the start, my goal is only to get my deposit refund and after these two weeks of campaigning, I feel that it is still hard to gauge who the voters will support,” the PCM vice-president said.

There are a total 82,431 registered voters in the constituency but voters turnout is expected to be lower as compared to the general elections.