MAY 26 — Visiting the fishing town of Sungai Besar in Selangor, I made an appointment to meet Tan at the local McDonald’s.
Some say if you want to tell whether a second- or third-tier town in Malaysia is thriving, there’s always a rule of thumb: If there’s a McDonald’s outlet, the economy there can’t be too bad.
Both Sekinchan and Sungai Panjang within the parliamentary constituency of Sungai Besar have standalone McDonald’s.
Looking out of the car window, the town was lined with rows of shops and vehicular traffic was busy.
Tan arrived at the restaurant. He was frowning at first sight, saying grumblingly, “We should have met at a seafood restaurant!”
I told him it was my first by-election trip and there were plenty of chances to savor the local seafood another time.
Tan is a Sungai Besar native and successful businessman despite the fact he is only in his thirties.
He might sport the look of a successful businessman, but several years back he was a young political enthusiast. Politically he was a die-hard opposition supporter before the GE13, campaigning day and night to promote his political belief.
Unfortunately we didn’t have a new federal administration after that election, but that did not make him feel dejected. He remained arduous in his political cause, becoming a devoted member of the cadre of an opposition party, which in Selangor is of course the ruling party.
Nevertheless, after he really went into the core of the party’s operation and had a first-hand feel of the cruelty and filth of real-world politics, his dream burst. He later left his party job and returned to his native Sungai Besar to start his own business.
His career success has not killed his enthusiasm in politics. He is well familiar with Sungai Besar’s political ecosystem and the local politicians. In addition, he has his own views on the upcoming by-election, of which I would say he makes an integral part of my database as well as my consultant and a resourceful teacher.
This is nevertheless not what I’m going to write here now. We still have about a month to go before the by-election, and there are still plenty of opportunities to talk about it in the days to come.
To get a better picture of the local election, it is a precondition that we familiarise ourselves with the local social and economic conditions.
Sungai Besar may not be as well known as other major towns and cities in the country, but it has its own development pattern. The entire economy has been supported by the fishing, agricultural, tourism and service industries.
Driving past Sekinchan, lying before my eyes were brand new condominiums each priced at around RM500,000 and snapped up long ago by purchasers. Most of the units have been bought by the locals who will then rent them out to tourists. Getting a room during school holidays and long weekends could be a real challenge.
You might find it difficult to imagine that across the main road is a wide expanse of rice fields, among the most productive and technologically advanced in the whole of Malaysia. Thanks to creative marketing, these rice fields have made a popular destination for tourists to Sekinchan.
The fishing village lies a stone’s throw away. The fishing industry is not that decrepit as we would have imagined. In its stead, the harvest is still bountiful and life in the fishing village looks decent. With the thriving fishing industry comes an abundance of seafood restaurants that have mushroomed over the years, all doing brisk business.
My lunch was with Mr Cheah, a local community leader. We had Teochew braised fish at a local restaurant. I had had enough of steamed fish and that was the first time I tried the local braised fish.
The restaurant owner joined our conversation. I asked him whether he would expect improved business as more outsiders throng into town in the run-up to next month’s by-election.
The restaurant owner’s friend answered on his behalf, “We can’t even handle all the local patrons. How are we going to deal with the sudden influx of outsiders?”
Businesses elsewhere would have looked to by-elections to boost their sales and local development, but for a relatively well developed Sungai Besar, the residents’ response towards the by-election could be a tad different.
Some are concerned about the unnecessary chaos and traffic congestion that would come with the by-election, disrupting the otherwise peaceful life of Sungai Besar.
“The weekend and school holiday crowds are already frightening enough. Can’t imagine what will happen when the by-election comes,” a local resident interrupted.
The needs of local residents, the attitude of voters and the pertinence of various issues to the locality are all tests confronting the various parties in Sungai Besar.
I was standing by the rice field as the sun began to set in serenity. The grains were almost ripe and should be ready for harvest by the time the by-election is held. — Sin Chew Daily
*This is the personal opinion of the writer or publication and does not necessarily represent the views of Malay Mail Online.
