Ayer Kuning voters seem largely unconcerned by Perikatan Nasional’s “UmDAP” campaign to demonise the Umno-DAP relationship, and the outcry it raised over allegedly illegal pig farms.
More basic issues such as development of the constituency, better infrastructure and job opportunities are likely to determine how they cast their ballots today, according to voters who spoke to FMT.
Azhar Samsuri, 50, a resident of Kampung Simpang Tiga, said he felt largely unaffected by the pig farm issue as he was confident it could be resolved through modern farming systems.
What mattered most to folk like him was the need to bring in new industries into Ayer Kuning to provide job opportunities and uplift the local economy.
“When job opportunities increase, people here will have greater purchasing power, which then means traders get more customers and Ayer Kuning’s local economy will become more robust,” he said.
PAS vice-president Idris Ahmad had claimed that 30 farms were approved in the Batang Padang and Muallim districts, based on field observations.
This was denied by Perak executive councillor A Sivanesan, who said no new pig farms had been approved in Muslim-majority areas, while agriculture and food security minister Mohamad Sabu said the nine farms in Ayer Kuning were fully compliant with waste disposal regulations.
Azhar also expected the new assemblyman to think of ways to overcome flooding and traffic congestion in the area, as well as to help constituents struggling with the rising cost of living.
Job opportunities were also the top priority of another resident, who wanted to only be known as Poh Teik. He said having better jobs here will keep Ayer Kuning’s youths from moving to cities in search of employment.
“We need an assemblyman who can help develop this place. What’s important is providing jobs for locals.
“When you can do that, then our young don’t have to seek a livelihood away from home,” said Poh Teik, from Kampung Baru Coldstream.
M Ragu, 49, hoped that the next assemblyman would stay close to the ground and heed the grouses of constituents. The Kampung Simpang Tiga resident particularly hoped improvements could be made to the village’s surroundings so that it would look more organised.
“A comfortable home and environment can improve lives,” he said.
For Hisham Maarof, 24, he was unperturbed by PN playing up Umno and DAP’s alliance in hopes of getting Malay voters to shift their support away to the opposition coalition.
He believed other young voters like him were unbothered by such narratives and were more concerned about having decent job opportunities.
PN leaders have been using the “UmDAP” label to highlight Umno‘s alliance with DAP under the unity government, which observers say remains a sensitive issue among Malay voters.
Perak DAP chief Nga Kor Ming had sought to normalise the label by pushing his own “UmDAP Mantap” brand, but think tank Ilham Centre said this had only yielded a more negative impact.
According to election data, Malay voters make up the majority of the electorate at 58%, followed by the Chinese (23%), Indians (14%) and others (5%).
There are 31,281 registered voters on the electoral roll for the Ayer Kuning by-election, which was called after the death of assemblyman Ishsam Shahruddin on Feb 22.
