SUNGAI SIPUT, April 9 — Sungai Siput voters said Socialist Party of Malaysia’s (PSM) Dr Michael Jeyakumar Devaraj could lose the election if he ran against Pakatan Harapan (PH).
Although Dr Jeyakumar, a two-term Sungai Siput MP, has won many hearts through his hard work over the past decade, voters in the Perak constituency said they expected their MP to do more like raise wages and feared his stellar service might not be enough to win a multi-cornered fight against Barisan Nasional (BN), PKR and PAS.
“Half of the votes I get from the previous elections were from the opposition coalition supporters,” Dr Jeyakumar admitted to Malay Mail.
“Whoever voted for the PH (Pakatan) candidates for the two state seats under the Sungai Siput constituency also voted for me for the parliamentary seat,” added the incumbent PSM lawmaker, who contested the two previous general elections under a PKR ticket.
In recent talks between PKR and PSM, the PH party had said Dr Jeyakumar could contest Sungai Siput in the 14th general election under a PKR ticket, in return for the socialist party standing down from all other seats. PSM is planning to run in five parliament and 12 state seats.
In line with the idiom “united we stand, divided we fall”, several voters in Sungai Siput urged PSM and PH to work together if the Opposition wanted to defend the parliamentary seat.
“If PSM contests alone, for sure they will lose. They can’t win if they don’t have the support from PH,” said S. Arul, 54, who is a driver.
A 40-year-old small coffee shop owner, who only wanted to be named as Amy Nadia, said that PSM will lose the election if there is a four-cornered fight.
“Chances of them (PSM) winning is less if there is a four cornered fight. They will not have the support of Chinese voters, which is the majority here, as they would prefer voting for PH, while Malay votes might split to PAS, PH and BN, which will leave PSM in a difficult situation to win,” she said.
R. Kannan, 64, who owns a grocery store, said that the Opposition was complicating its chances of winning by contesting against each other.
“I don’t understand the reason why PSM need to contest alone. It will only spoil their chances of winning.
“In fact, both need each others help to win. If PH field a candidate here, there is no guarantee that they could win as they need PSM’s support as well,” he said.
Farmer Lee Hong Kee, 37, said that PSM and PH should come to an agreement fast and find ways to solve their problem if they want to hold on to the parliamentary seat.
Dr Jeyakumar retained Sg Siput in Election 2013 with a majority of 2,793 votes in a three cornered fight against Datuk Seri S. K. Devamany (BN) and S. Nagalingam, an independent candidate.
What voters actually want
Although most people in Sungai Siput praised Dr Jeyakumar’s service in solving various problem such as land issues, squatter issues and medical problems, which they failed to see under BN back then, they expected more from their MP.
M. Mahendran, a 39-year-old estate worker, said that the people here wanted better working opportunities with higher salaries.
“The basic salary an estate worker could earn here is around RM600 to RM900 per month. We can’t survive with that little of money, especially with children around and only one person working in the family,” he said.
“No point building shopping outlets or cinemas here if the price of the goods not reduce and no increase in salary and job opportunity. People can’t afford to buy anything.”
Mahendran also wanted the winning candidate to bring more foreign investors to Sungai Siput and to open up big companies to provide higher-paying jobs.
Kamil Iskandar Rahmat, a 32-year-old factory worker, said that the goods and services tax (GST) has been a burden for the people.
“Last time, rice with a piece of chicken and vegetable will only cost RM5 here, but now it costs us around RM7 to RM9 due to GST.
“The price of vegetables also increased due to GST,” he said.
M. Kanna, 35, who owns a small fruit stall, called for greater access to public education.
“We want at least one of the children in a family to enrol in a public university. Most of the children here are only getting offers from private universities.
“Their applications to public universities has been turned down. Pursuing studies in private university will be costly and people like us can’t afford our children to study there,” he said.
Sungai Siput is a sub-district which falls under the Kuala Kangsar district. It is located about 25km from state capital Ipoh and 20km from the town of Kuala Kangsar.
The constituency is home to about 51,000 voters, with the ethnic Chinese comprising the majority at about 40 per cent, Malays 33 per cent, Indians 20 per cent, and Orang Asli six per cent.
The people in Sungai Siput are mostly farmers, estate workers and factory workers, while others are civil servants and professional workers.
There are also some who venture into small business like hawking food, drinks, fruits and vegetables to make ends meet.
Unlike many other major towns in the state which have seen the renovation and repainting of old buildings, Sungai Siput remains unchanged, a slow-paced town with a few restaurants, retail stores, and goldsmiths.
BN welcomes split in Opposition
Rumours are brewing that MIC treasurer-general Datuk Seri S. Vell Paari, who is also son of former MIC president Tun S. Samy Vellu, will be contesting Sungai Siput to regain the traditional MIC seat.
But voters have previously voiced out their dissatisfaction with Samy Vellu’s performance in the past as Sungai Siput MP. This is likely to affect Vell Paari’s chances.
Sungai Siput MIC division chief M. Ilangoven said BN will have a better chance of winning with a split in the Opposition.
“People in Sungai Siput also wanted a change. For the past 10 years nothing has been done by Dr. Jeyakumar.
“We have provided funding to the temples and schools here. Voters are aware that BN is serving the people better,” he said.
While PSM, MIC, and PKR are expected to field an Indian candidate for the parliamentary seat, PAS is expected to field a Malay candidate.
A source from PAS confirmed that the party will contest Sungai Siput and field a Malay candidate.
“We actually studied the background and the current situation in Sungai Siput. There is a high possibility that the Chinese and Indian votes [will] split if there is a four-cornered fight.
“So, we felt that it is better to field a Malay candidate there as we could garner the Malay and Indian votes,” he said.
While chances are still open for all parties, a fiery battle in Sungai Siput is expected in the coming election.
