Ground abuzz with expectations as Anwar Ibrahim stages comeback in Port Dickson

PORT DICKSON (Malaysia) — Mr Khoo Ah Thong and his friends usually spend their free time at a neighbourhood coffee shop exchanging the latest news.

These days, the talk is almost always about Parti Keadilan Rakyat's (PKR) incoming president Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, who will contest the coastal parliamentary seat of Port Dickson in an upcoming by-election.

"We are happy he is contesting, we will definitely support him. In fact, the opposition should not throw their hat in the ring and allow Anwar to win uncontested," the retiree told TODAY.

His friend, odd job worker Tan Kim Peng, agreed.

"We will not vote for BN (Barisan Nasional, the opposition coalition)... They were the ones who implemented the GST (Goods and Services Tax) which burdened us and give us (former prime minister) Najib (Razak)," he said on Monday (Sept 17).

Mr Khoo, 66, and Mr Tan, 29, are among the over 75,000 voters in the ward located in Negeri Sembilan state who are looking forward to Mr Anwar making a comeback to active politics.

Current Member of Parliament Danyal Balagopal Abdullah vacated his seat last Wednesday for the former deputy prime minister, who has been jailed twice for corruption and sodomy in the late 1990s and 2015.

Mr Anwar, who just returned to public life after years of incarceration, has been named the ruling Pakatan Harapan (PH) coalition's prime minister-in-waiting but needs a seat in Parliament to legitimise his position should Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad step down for him during this term, as promised.

As it is, the ground is abuzz with expectations, even before the announcement of the by-election date, which is expected to be known soon.

Banners put up by PKR proclaiming the party's support for Mr Anwar's candidature greet visitors as they enter the seaside town.

"It is time for Anwar to play a major role in our country's governance. We need him to be in Parliament to uplift the country and make us on par with Japan and China," said Ms I Renukah, adding that her entire extended family of 60 people will "definitely vote" for him.

Others add that Mr Anwar is the right person to help develop the constituency and make it into one of the country's premier tourist attractions.

"I am hoping that he can develop more tourist attractions here and make PD one of the country's top sites to visit, at par with Feringghi beach in Penang," said Ms Roszaini Zainal, 37.

Fried chicken seller Din Pantai, 30, added: "We want someone who can not only voice our needs and views in Parliament but who can also help us in getting funds and allocations for the constituency and I believe with his stature as Prime Minister (in the future), Anwar can do that".

Port Dickson, or PD, is a popular destination with out-of-towners who throng its sandy beaches and cheap seafood restaurants, but locals complain that it only comes alive during weekends and public holidays.

The resort town was a BN stronghold until the 2008 general election, when it fell to PKR. It is a mixed constituency with 43 per cent Malay voters, while Chinese and Indian voters make up 33 per cent and 22 per cent respectively.

In the May 9 general election, Mr Danyal, a political greenhorn, garnered 36,225 votes, or 59.06 per cent vote share in a three-cornered fight against BN and Parti Islam Se-Malaysia candidates.

Mr Anwar is expected to face off against Mr Stevie Chan from Kuala Lumpur, who will stand as an independent candidate.

WILL BN CONTEST?

BN has yet to announce whether it would contest in the by-election. On Monday, former United Malays National Organisation (Umno) youth chief Khairy Jamaluddin said the opposition bloc must throw its hat into the ring so that the upcoming polls does not become a coronation for Mr Anwar.

"Umno-BN must contest. PD is not a winnable seat but we must fight this shameless political entitlement," Mr Khairy tweeted. "Coronations are for kings. And Anwar isn't one."

Even if BN enters the race, Mr Anwar is expected to prevail due to his popularity and stature.

There is still anger against BN over its decision to implement the GST as well as alleged corruption linked to Najib.

Ms Norbaiti Mohd, who is an Umno member, conceded that many party members will be hard-pressed to vote for BN.

"We didn't even vote for Umno during the (May) general election because we were upset with GST and Najib. Now PH has done away with the GST and with all the corruption charges (filed) against Najib, it will be hard for us to vote for BN again," she said.

Still, there may be pockets of resentment over the way the by-election was triggered.

Retiree K Raju noted that the organisation of the by-election will cost the taxpayers money. He added that the funds would be put to better use if directed to programmes for the poor and needy.

"Politicians are all the same, before election, they promise you everything but after that, nothing!", he said, adding that he has yet to decide who to vote for.

There are signs of cracks in PH over the by-election, with senior figures like deputy PKR president Azmin Ali and Women Chief Zuraida Kamaruddin complaining that they were not consulted on which seat will be vacated.

Lukut assemblyman Choo Ken Hwa conceded that the pockets of dissatisfaction may affect voter turnout come polling day. (Lukut is one of the five state seats under the ward).

PH is targetting a 60 per cent turnout, an ambitious figure considering that the last three by-elections since the May polls — Sungai Kandis, Seri Setia and Balakong — were all marked by exceptionally low voter turnouts, below 50 per cent. Many have put this down to voter fatigue.

"I have some people complaining to me the way they felt politicians took their (previous) votes for granted," Mr Choo told TODAY.

"We will have to come up with a good strategy to get people to come out and vote."