GEORGE TOWN, April 27 ― Food stall owner Fatimah Mat Salleh travels about 10 kilometres from her village in Tasek Gelugor to her stall in Kubang Semang each day and all she can think about this election season is security.
“I want to have peace of mind, to feel safe, whether at my stall or at home, safe from any disturbances or violence or crime, that’s what I want the most,” she said.
The 57-year-old is a voter in Tasek Gelugor and does not have much in the way of demands of her elected representative.
“I only hope they do what they are supposed to do, make sure there is proper infrastructure for our place... it doesn't matter which party they are from,” she said.
Fatimah’s concerns about security is echoed by several other voters Malay Mail spoke to both on the island and mainland.
Many seemed to have a fear of possible unrest if there is a change in government, especially at national level, and they expressed this by talking about “peace and harmony”.
Retired policeman Mohd Yusoff Abu Hassan, 63, hinted that it is best that peace be maintained so those in power must ensure that there are no “untoward incidents.”
“The people’s safety is the most important thing that must be maintained at all costs,” he said.
Mohd Yusoff, who votes in Simpang Ampat, said there are many issues that politicians like to highlight and talk about but these do not interest him.
“What’s the point of all those things they promise if we don’t have safety and peace?” he asked.
Over the past few years, police have reported lower crime rates in Penang and a Perception of Crime Indicator (PCI) survey found a 40 per cent reduction in the public's fear of being victims of crime.
The 2017 National Transformation Programme report also showed that crime rate has fallen by 53 per cent throughout the country but Penang voters are still concerned about crime.
Bank officer Cheng Shuet Ling, 33, said she wants a safe country, like Japan and Korea, where crime rates are relatively low.
Voters in urban constituencies on the island and some parts of the mainland are more focused on eradicating corruption and racial and religious bias.
Chef Phoebe C. wants a fair government that treats all of its citizens fairly without any bias based on race or religion.
Cheng said there should not be columns for race and religion in official forms especially for schools and universities.
“Why does it matter if the student is of a certain ethnicity or religion? Their religious beliefs should not matter,” she said.
In rural areas, emphasis is on reducing the cost of living and for Muslims, it is important to that Islam be upheld as the official religion in the nation.
For 73-year-old trader Hussin Mat Salleh, being able to have a steady income is important for most people struggling to make ends meet.
“Being able to make a living is of utmost importance, we need income to survive and we want to have lower cost of living too,” he said.
Both groups of voters do agree on one thing and that is the need for good and free education.
Hussin said education is important for a better future, a wish echoed by almost about 20 voters polled.
The constant bickering between Pakatan Harapan and Barisan Nasional leaders is of no concern to most of the voters polled.
“I don't even read such news anymore, these are just fights between “elephants”, it is best for us to stay out of it or we die in the centre,” Hussin said, using a Malay idiom “Gajah sama gajah bergaduh, pelandok mati ditengah-tengah” (When two elephants fight, the mousedeer in the middle dies) to emphasise his point.
While most of the urban constituencies in Penang are considered safe seats for PH, some of the partially rural constituencies such as Balik Pulau and even Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim's stronghold, Permatang Pauh, will see strong competition from BN.
BN won all three state seats in Balik Pulau ― Bayan Lepas, Pulau Betong and Telok Bahang - and also held the Balik Pulau parliamentary seat in the last general election.
However, PH is hoping to win over all three state seats which were won by a slim majority.
Umno, under BN, won Bayan Lepas with a 458-vote majority, Pulau Betong with a 395-vote majority and Telok Bahang with a 801-vote majority while in the parliamentary seat, incumbent Datuk Seri Dr Hilmi Yahaya won with only a 1,539-vote majority.
In Permatang Pauh, the three state seats ― Seberang Jaya, Permatang Pasir and Penanti ― are currently held by PKR and PAS (Permatang Pasir).
While all three constituencies are considered PH strongholds, multi-cornered fights are expected there with a possibility of PAS taking away a large portion of voters from PKR and Amanah.
