Terengganu is all set for the polls!

APRIL 17 ― Someone asked me about politics in Terengganu. I said, it’s still very grassroots, and it will remain laidback whether Barisan Nasional or Pakatan Rakyat governs it.  There is some progress, but that progress is contentious.

About a month back, I was assigned to observe how Umno Terengganu fared, and what their preparations were for the coming elections. Despite the flags lining the roads, everyone I met was nonchalant about the elections.

It’s a shoo-in for BN and Umno, as far as everyone in the state was concerned. There are fears; they were complacent when they lost to PAS and they don’t want a repeat of that.

A short meeting with Ibrahim Omar, the Umno Kuala Terengganu secretary, revealed that the polls would be “…sengit.” It’s going to be a tough fight, as the young and more professionals support the Opposition, but Umno will win Terengganu.

Umno Kuala Terengganu has been preparing for the general election for more than a year. Because of their preparedness, activities were not rushed.

“We’re having the usual ceramahs, just like the Opposition. We’re briefing our members what to expect during the polls, how to organise the ceramahs and activities, but we’re not in a frenzy yet. The flags that you’re seeing now were to welcome the PM over the weekend, not because of the elections!”

Ibrahim Omar.And they would remain there until May 5!

What about social media, I asked.

On Facebook, there are a number of Umno Terengganu groups, but most are closed to the public. One ― Kelab Penyokong Umno Parlimen Kuala Terengganu ― was set up to gather as many supporters to discuss and implement strategies to help with the upcoming elections. The one open Facebook group was a space where jobs were advertised and beauty products were sold.

On Twitter, there’s hardly any representation from Umno Terengganu, but tweets from their supporters and, of course, the Opposition are many. There seems to be little social media presence.

Ibrahim shook his head. His office didn’t engage with social media. In Terengganu, ceramahs work best. He’s confident that the locals will vote for them. “The Chinese community are in business. They don’t want to live in a country that is huru-hara. They can’t afford to have strife. And even our Malay traders can’t afford to have their businesses affected.”

Many of the locals who voted for PAS and were under PAS in the nineties found it hard to eke out a living. Bread-and-butter issues are topmost priority for them now.

Terengganu may not be as modern as other states but it has progressed. Its resident voters are different from those of Kuala Lumpur. Urban, educated voters in Kuala Lumpur demand for better transportation, for example, but Terengganu locals are happy with what they have, and do not ask for more.  “We’re too complacent.”The women of Umno Ladang.

Ladang

Ladang is hot right now. Once upon a time, it was a tiny village that fulfilled all the clichés about Malay kampungs. Now it is a site that is contested and discussed heavily and angrily by the Opposition. Ladang has divided the locals into two camps: either you support the move or you don’t.

However, the women of Ladang, who have now moved to the new flats built by the state government in what the Opposition has deemed as a controversial move, are grateful for their new homes, though they admit to missing “kampung life.”

Back then, when they lived in the village, sanitation was poor, their houses were crumbling, and they were poor. They’re still poor now, but they have a roof over their heads, and there’s clean water.

The flat Kak Na (Halina Mamat) and her friends live in is not unlike the low-cost flats seen in Kuala Lumpur. They’re tiny shoeboxes, and an air of despair hovers over the inhabitants.

Halina, Sisulawati Kadir and Kak Ja don’t see the move as bad. “Kami AJK je… (we’re the committee members of the branch…)” The women work as cleaners, and Sisulawati sells curry puffs.

Their involvement in politics is due to wanting to give back to the community and bangsa Melayu. They’re quite eager to help out in the elections. Their way of campaigning is rudimentary. They talk among their friends, and when the community meets for kenduri, meetings and events. When asked what their campaign was about, they stared blankly.

“Preparations for the upcoming polls started a month back. But preparations are muted…. cara kampung. So far, there have been a few ceramahs here and there. But Insya’Allah, all will be well. Bahang pilihanraya sudah ada sekarang,” Sisulawati said.

Everyone is prepared, and they are making sure their friends are not influenced by the “pembangkang.”

“Kami buat banci, to find out the number of each household. We believe that everyone is intelligent enough to figure things out. So we don’t need to campaign from door to door,” Halina said.

Halina added, “The Opposition keeps talking about religion and how to be a better Muslim. Religion IS important but they don’t tell us how to survive!” Besides, Umno is a Muslim party, too.Haji Senun Embung.

And in Kampung Haji Kadir….

It’s not often that you meet a very important committee member of Umno in front of an outhouse after Isyah prayers, but that was where I met Haji Senun Embung of Kampung Haji Kadir.

Seventy per cent of its residents support PAS, while the rest support Umno. In a show of defiance perhaps, BN flags the size of carpets were hung from poles as tall as streetlights, right by the village.

“What we want when PRU is over, is that the top level Umno listen and talk to us orang kampung. Because they don’t,” Haji Senun Embung claimed, as he greeted my cousin and I at the outhouse.

The outhouse is a world apart from the hallowed grounds of hotel coffeehouses and lounges that the more senior and established Umno members haunt.

Haji Senun, his daughter Rospariza and family are Umno members and represent Umno Bahagian Masjid Haji Kadir. Kampung Masjid Haji Kadir is a PAS bastion, with a small population of Umno stalwarts (30 per cent).  Every Sunday, there’s a ceramah blasting throughout the small village, but the Umno supporters soldier on. If they can survive here, they can survive anywhere.

Syed Safri, a relative of Haji Senun, was introduced. He was proud of his work; he had a serious obligation to perform: he climbs up the flag poles to put on the flags at night. He considers it a privilege to hang them, and feels that “… tampal bendera ni… it is like I am supporting my government.”

Syed Safri.The work itself is challenging. The work is done at night, and from time to time, PAS members would heckle him while he hung the flags. His modus operandi is to ignore them. After a while, they’d go home to sleep.

Rospariza grinned. “I suppose you can call this a campaign.” Rospariza is with Puteri Umno, and has a lot to say about the social problem the state has. Campaigning and winning are two things; the problems would still not go away when the elections are over.

Haji Senun was sanguine. “I love my country, but I feel frustrated. The problems of the people in the kampung are real, but overlooked.”  He is still confident of BN’s win in Terengganu. They’re ready for the polls; they have been holding ceramahs at Batu Burok, and in some villages. However, there needs to be more co-operation and collaboration between top tier of Umno and people like him.

“Come back during the week of the elections. Then Terengganu will be fun, like a carnival, with both sides slugging it out,” Rospariza said.

***

I predict a livelier political scene in my home state in the future. The architect Raja Bahrin has joined PAS, and has been a vocal oppositionist for quite some time. His uncle YAM Tengku Sri Paduka Tengku Ibrahim Sultan Ismail Nasiruddin may wish to play a quieter role as a supporter and member of PAS, but he is no less influential. There is also another Terengganu man who is shaking up a lot of things already: Rafizi Ramli.

I received a call from my friend, the former gangster and now PKR member of Terengganu, the other day.

“Ku. Pilihanraya nok dekak doh. Nok mintok sumbangan boleh?”

“Berapa ribu tu!”

“Skek je. Lime puloh ringgit pong takpe.”

“Allah! Sedih aku dengor! Kang mung SMS nombor akaun k?”

Hodup Kepok Lekor!

* This is the personal opinion of the columnist