Local boy, local issues win over Sungai Besar

SUNGAI BESAR: Local boy Budiman Mohd Zohdi, as the locals expected, won the Sungai Besar by-election, retaining the seat for the Barisan Nasional (BN) after the death of Noriah Kasnon.

Using the “underdog” strategy as well as the “village boy” strategy, Budiman was seen to be close to the local people, being approachable and comfortable in meeting small groups.

The opposition parties tried to bring up issues such as Goods and Services Tax, the issues of 1Malaysia Development Berhad, and the controversial RM2.6 billion donation to Najib Razak’s accounts.

But they were lost on them, almost irrelevant to the people of Sungai Besar.

Instead, it was local issues such as the mooring and landing tax proposed by the Federal Government which attracted the attention of the local people, who are mostly farmers and fishermen.

PAS candidate Dr Abdul Rani Osman, however, was suffering a different fate. For him, the stumbling block was a national issue, the infamous “Hudud Bill” tabled by his party president in Parliament.

Extensive explanations were given by PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang, about how his proposed private member’s bill would not affect the Chinese population. These explanations just weren’t enough to win over the Chinese vote.

Abdul Rani has experience in politics and is state assemblyman for Meru, near Klang, as well as a medical doctor, but it was the “non-local” factor that kept Sungai Besar voters at a distance.

PAS leaders found difficulty in campaigning on their own this time, unlike the 2013 general election when they had help from PKR and DAP, their partners in Pakatan Rakyat. .

PAS was not only understaffed, they also lacked the support of the PKR-led Selangor state government. Abdul Rani was left to his own devices.

In place of PAS, this time it was Parti Amanah Negara receiving support from PKR and DAP, and gave BN some competition.

However, its candidate, Azhar Abdul Shukur, could not compete with Budiman, as he had just returned to Sungai Besar and lacked sufficient political influence, being only the Amanah Sungai Besar chief.

Support from former Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad and the Citizens’ Declaration campaign to oust Najib Razak was not enough to win over the voters.

Azhar was also constantly overshadowed by the prominence of leaders from PKR and DAP, but when given the chance to speak up, Azhar made few promises to help the people of Sungai Besar.

Instead, the people were constantly being asked to oust Najib and to believe that the Sungai Besar by-election would decide the prime minister’s fate.

Azhar was reliant on Sekinchan assemblywoman Ng Sue Lin to woo the Chinese voters, only to be trumped by Umno Sungai Besar leader Jamal Yunos successfully bringing home two fishermen who had been detained in Tanjong Balai, Indonesia.

That caused Chinese voters to change course, from thinking about the national political effect of the by-election and instead thinking of the opportunities and benefits that Budiman could bring.