TELUK INTAN, April 27 ― Incumbent MP Datuk Seri Mah Siew Keong would probably have no problems retaining his seat in Teluk Intan if it wasn't for Perak DAP chairman Nga Kor Ming.

Despite Mah's strong track record ― more affordable housing developments and tackling the flood issue ― in his three years’ service for the constituency, the presence of an aggressive politician like Nga has left the voters undecided.

Mah is generally well liked among the voters in the constituency but the large crowd aat Pakatan Harapan's candidacy announcement recently shows that many are intrigued by Nga’s presence.

Amir, a handicraft shop owner, said that Mah would have had a clear path if he was not facing Nga.

"Mah has a tough opponent but that doesn't mean it's the end of the line for him. He has done a lot for the people here. That would definitely carry some weight,” he said. 

"Both have equal chances of winning. We can only know the result at the end of the polling day,” said the 55-year-old.

Taxi driver K. Subramaniam, 65 said Mah can win if people vote based on the candidate’s performance.

"But, it would be the other way around if the people vote based on the flag,” he added, referring to the party flag.

Eu Xie, a 52-year-old grocery shop owner, said that it is going to be an interesting election as he thinks both have a 50-50 chance of winning.

Mah, who is also Gerakan president, was MP for Teluk Intan from 1999 to 2008. Born in Teluk Intan, he lost to DAP's M. Manogaran in 2008 and subsequently to Seah Leong Peng in 2013 with a majority of 1,470 votes and 7,313 votes respectively.

He recaptured the seat in the 2014 by-election following the death of Seah, where he defeated DAP's Dyana Sofya Mohd Daud with only a 238-vote majority.

Tan Chee Jing, 30, a bicycle shop owner, said that he prefers a candidate without a ministerial post to be the Teluk Intan MP.

Most of the people, especially the Malays and Indians, describe Mah as a soft-hearted person and praised him for providing various help like medical aid, education assistance, and home repairs for the lower income group and single parents.

Habibah Mohamad Din, 53, a trader said that Mah is a caring person and concerned about the welfare of the people.

"If a house is burned, he would be there the next day. He will help the victims by repairing the house,” she said.

S. Ganesh Varma, 29, a factory worker said that Mah has done a lot of good for the people here.

"He takes care of the poor and the elderly. This is one of the reasons why people respect him,” he said.

Taxi driver S. Manokaran, 65, said that Mah also takes care of the needs of the people who have retired.

"He provided taxi stands for people like us who have retired. Even at this age, we still have a job because of him,” he said.

Ahmad Shamsuri Atmo, 74, a retired civil servant said that despite delays in some of Mah's promises for the people here like building a university, he still thinks that Mah has done a good job.

Some here criticised the caretaker Minister of the Plantation Industries and Commodities tenure as MP. 

"Only during election, they will come up with groundbreaking ceremony for building houses, university and other developments.

"But, once the election is over, the projects are delayed. Mah didn't keep his promises,” said one of the constituents.

Tan Chee Jing, 30, a bicycle shop owner, said that he did not want to comment about Mah, but added that he prefers a normal candidate than one who holds a ministerial post. 

"I prefer a candidate who does have any ministerial post. This is because a minister would be busy with the federal work and he can't concentrate much on his constituency,” he said.   

A 31-year-old pilot, who only wanted to be known as Mok, said that a candidate like Nga has the capability to bring change to the government.

"Mah is good, but no point having a good manager in a bad company. People want a change and they believe Nga can make it happen.

"In fact, that is the reason why a large crowd attended his recent talk here. They want a better government,” he said.

The two-term Taiping MP will be contesting in Teluk Intan for the first time in the coming election. He will be also contesting for the Aulong state seat.

Teluk Intan is home to about 66,000 voters. Malays make up of about 41 per cent of the population, while the remainder 40 per cent are Chinese with Indians making up the remainder 19 per cent.

The people in the constituency are mostly entrepreneurs, oil palm smallholders and civil servants.

 

Teluk Intan is home to about 66,000 voters. Malays make up of about 41 per cent of the population, while the remainder are Chinese, 40 per cent and Indians, 19 per cent.