SEREMBAN, July 30 — Over the past decade, Aina Mohamed, 33, has watched Negeri Sembilan evolve, with new public facilities, businesses and housing developments changing parts of the state that once felt much quieter.

The Negeri Sembilan native, who lives in Ampangan, said the changes were easy to spot, from the opening of the Urban Transformation Centre (UTC) and new commercial areas to the transformation of towns across the state.

“Areas that used to feel neglected are cleaner now. There are more businesses, more facilities and more opportunities,” she said.

She pointed to Port Dickson as another example of how much the state has changed.

“There are countless cafés there now, and the waterfront looks so much better than it used to. Before this, there wasn’t much for people to do.”

For Aina, development is the clearest sign of how Negeri Sembilan has changed, but she acknowledged that voters will also weigh issues beyond physical transformation as they head to the ballot box.

Alongside the state’s physical growth, she said she had also noticed changes in how communities interact.

She said it had become less common for people to associate certain neighbourhoods with a particular race, as residents from different backgrounds increasingly gather in the same public spaces.

“People used to say certain areas ‘belonged’ to one race. Now everyone goes to the UTC, the markets, the sports complex, cafés and restaurants together.

“I don’t really see racial issues among ordinary people anymore,” Aina said.

She believes Negeri Sembilan’s — particularly Seremban 2’s — relatively affordable housing and proximity to the Klang Valley have attracted more people to the state, bringing new businesses as well as heavier traffic.

“But if you ask me, it’s not that bad, the heavier traffic only means that there is life in Seremban, and with that there are job opportunities for the locals,” she added.

Interviews with residents, community leaders and grassroots political figures across Seremban, Port Dickson and Nilai suggest that while development remains a key measure of performance, voters are also thinking about governance, the state’s unique customary institutions and what comes after polling day.

Unlike the 2023 election, when Pakatan Harapan (PH) and Barisan Nasional (BN) contested as allies, this year’s election sees the two coalitions facing each other after BN ended its electoral cooperation with PH.

Bersatu is also contesting independently, reshaping the political landscape for voters.

Politics should not get in the way of daily life

For Noradzam Ali, 57, a businessman born and raised in Negeri Sembilan, the state election has brought more disruption than excitement.

While he accepts elections as part of democracy, he questioned whether dissolving the state assembly was necessary, saying it had disrupted the routines of many residents, particularly business owners.

“Business has to go on. People still have to work and earn a living,” he said.

At the same time, Noradzam said he was uncomfortable with attempts to inject race into the campaign.

“It’s unpleasant when people keep bringing up race. That’s not something we should be playing with.

“Politicians should focus on issues that affect people’s everyday lives because people are more concerned about earning a living, running their businesses and taking care of their families,” he said.

People outside Negeri Sembilan may not understand

Faridah Sajoli, 45, said many Negeri Sembilan residents simply want the state’s unique customary institutions preserved.

She said the ongoing dispute involving Negeri Sembilan’s customary leadership had left many residents uncertain.

“People outside Negeri Sembilan may not understand it, but ‘adat’ is very important to us.

“To date, many who are born and still live here respect and follow these customary ways of doing things, for example weddings and land matters,” she said.

She said the state had functioned well because elected leaders and traditional institutions worked together.

“Before all this happened, everything was fine.”

Now, she said, many constituents feel caught in the middle.

“We’re confused over why these things are happening, but above all it’s a disruption that we didn’t want.

“The uncertainty has also affected those waiting for land-related approvals,” she said.

Despite the political dispute, Faridah believes caretaker Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Aminuddin Harun has delivered visible development.

“If you ask me personally, I think he has done his job. People can see the changes.”

Aminuddin is seeking a fresh mandate in Linggi after leaving the Sikamat seat he had represented since 2018 for one of the state’s most closely watched contests.

Cooperation beyond party lines

In Kampung Mantin Dalam, which falls under the Nilai state constituency, cooperation between leaders from different political parties has become part of everyday administration over the past three years.

Norizwan Zainal Abidin, the Barisan Nasional (BN) Nilai division chief who also chairs the Kampung Mantin Dalam Village Development and Security Committee (JPKK), has been working with Nilai assemblyman Arul Kumar Jambunathan from DAP.

Although BN and DAP are once again contesting against each other in this election, Norizwan said their working relationship under the unity government had allowed development programmes and village administration to continue without major disruption.

The village and surrounding communities are home to around 3,450 people.

He said infrastructure, public facilities and road safety remained among residents’ biggest concerns.

“What we need is better infrastructure, public facilities and improvements to the quality of life,” Norizwan said.

He said federal programmes, including those under Santuni Madani, had continued despite the state assembly being dissolved.

Still, he acknowledged that changes could follow once a new government is formed.

“When leadership changes at the top, naturally those changes will eventually reach the grassroots.”

He believes BN is in a stronger position than many expect as it seeks to defend traditional strongholds such as Rantau, represented by Umno deputy president Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan, and Pertang, where Negeri Sembilan Umno chief Datuk Seri Jalaluddin Alias is defending his seat.

Looking beyond polling day

The people Malay Mail spoke to do not all share the same political views.

Some welcomed the state’s visible development, others questioned the political uncertainty surrounding the election, while others focused on preserving Negeri Sembilan’s customary institutions or expressed support for different political parties.

Yet despite those differences, many returned to the same concerns: continued development, stable governance and the hope that, once polling day is over, attention can return to improving the lives of ordinary people.

As voters cast their ballots on Saturday (August 1), attention will not only be on closely watched contests such as Ampangan, Linggi, Nilai, Rantau and Pertang, but also on Chennah — featuring Transport Minister Anthony Loke — and Gemencheh, a BN stronghold where PH is attempting to make inroads.

For many residents, the election is about more than which coalition forms the next government.

As Noradzam put it: “People just want to keep what has been working well and maintain this status quo.”