People interviewed by FMT generally acknowledged their debt to Mahathir for putting Langkawi on the world map, but many of the islanders appear still staunchly with Umno.
“Umno remains strong in Langkawi. The Langkawi-born remain strong supporters of Umno,” said marine engineer Hamieazuar Hamizan.
However, he said the islanders also supported Mahathir, which could be a major threat to Umno if the party did not step up its efforts to win the hearts of the people.
“If Mahathir decides to contest in Langkawi, he can win a lot of votes because of his impact on the people,” said Hamieazuar, who believes many Langkawi people still feel that they owe Mahathir for what he has done.
He said there was no better candidate to represent Pakatan Harapan (PH) in Langkawi than its own chairman.
“Better to field Dr Mahathir himself here than his son Mukhriz,” he added.
Hamieazuar’s sentiments were shared by a taxi driver who only wished to be known as Ahmad.
The 46-year-old said although Langkawi was an Umno stronghold, the islanders still sought out Mahathir as they felt the former prime minister could bring changes in the political arena.
“Many residents of Langkawi owe much to Dr Mahathir. He was the one who put this island on the map,” he said.
But, again, he could not deny that the Langkawi people would still likely vote for Umno because they appreciate the contributions and active participation of their MP, Nawawi Ahmad, and Kuah assemblyman Nor Saidi Nanyan.
Langkawi Tourist Guide Association member Fuziah Mohamed had no doubt that the islanders would support Mahathir although he is now chairman of another party, PPBM.
“It doesn’t matter which party he is in, the people of Langkawi who truly love him will still support him.
“The belief in him is greater than their belief in his party,” said Fuziah.
She added that the efforts made by Mahathir now were a continuation of his great legacy.
A restaurant operator, Jamaluddin Hashim, who used to work with Malaysia Airlines, was convinced that Mahathir still enjoyed the strong support of Langkawi residents.
“Now we can see the support for PH and PPBM growing stronger by the day in Langkawi.
“There are even former members of Barisan Nasional (BN) switching from blue to red,” he said, referring to the colours of BN and PPBM.
However, Jamaluddin said Umno’s machinery in Langkawi remained the strongest, spearheaded by its Wanita and Puteri wings which were actively involved in the community.
“I think the contest in Langkawi will be close in the next general election,” he said.
Mahathir, from the early years of his prime ministership, focused on developing Langkawi into a world-class tourist haven, building an international airport on the island and making it the host of big-scale events such as the Langkawi International Maritime and Aerospace Exhibition.
He also granted duty-free status to Langkawi and set up the Langkawi Development Authority specially to drive its development.