A former civil servant who spoke on condition of anonymity said the coalition could even lose its hold on the seat if it did not “get its act together”.

“People are angry with PH for making promises which have yet to be fulfilled, even after nine months,” he told FMT.

“This is a Malay area, and while there are many other issues which the people are angry with the PH government for not fixing, there are several which affect the Malays the most.”

This includes the removal of subsidies for those who accompany family members on the haj, he said.

“Last time, the fare for the accompanying person was subsidised by the government. Now they have to pay the full price of RM22,900.

“The subsidised price was only RM9,980, similar to that of the person performing the haj,” he added.

The 64-year-old, who stays at Kesuma Lake, said the death of fireman Muhammad Adib Mohd Kassim had also impacted Malays’ view of the government as the case was still unresolved.

The majority of voters in Semenyih are Malays (68%), followed by the Chinese (17%) and Indians (14%).

The former civil servant said he, along with many others, had voted for PH in the May 9 polls last year. He did not regret doing so then as he saw that people wanted reforms, he said.

“We all wanted to bring Najib down,” he said, referring to former prime minister Najib Razak.

They also wanted to show their dissatisfaction with the Barisan Nasional (BN) administration, he added.

“I don’t regret my decision, but it has been a very disappointing nine months since PH took over,” he said.

He cited the lack of change in oil prices and the increase in prices of goods and services.

“There is also the longstanding PTPTN issue, among many others,” he said, referring to the National Higher Education Fund Corporation.

“These unfulfilled promises will be the downfall of PH this by-election if they don’t do something about it.”

The former civil servant was one of some 400 people who turned up at the Baiduri low-cost flats at Kesuma Lake last night to meet Najib. The former prime minister was there to lend support for BN candidate Zakaria Hanafi.

In his speech, Najib told the people not to vote for PH anymore as its leaders had failed to fulfil the promises made before GE14.

This comes on the heels of his visit to the Tesco hypermarket in the constituency, where he was met by a huge crowd.

When asked if Najib would be able to swing a portion of the votes in favour of BN, the civil servant said it depended on how PH was able to counter BN’s campaign.

He noted that Najib had never visited Semenyih prior to the announcement of the by-election there. He said people might have come to see him out of curiosity although they might also feel sympathetic towards him due to the charges levelled against him.

Another resident, Zam Zaini, said the more PH “victimised” Najib, the more people would take his side.

Zam, 47, said PH was not able to match what Najib had done for the people, citing BR1M and the 1Malaysia sundry shops and clinics.

He, too, said many of the Semenyih constituents had voted for PH in GE14 because of the coalition’s promises.

“But we feel cheated as none of these promises has been fulfilled.

“I believe many voters will return to BN because of this,” he said.

Voter Norhaniza Saleh agreed, saying PH had not done anything for the constituency since winning GE14.

“When we ask for help from the assemblyman’s office, the excuse is that they do not have sufficient funds. They keep telling us that the country’s debt is very high right now.”

Zainul Mahmud, meanwhile, questioned the need for ministers to be accompanied by officers and bodyguards wherever they go.

“They tell us that the country is poor now, but why are there still so many political appointees? That money is our money,” he said.

Another voter who asked to be called Ida said she and her family were tired of PH and its “empty promises”.

“Before GE14, we supported PH,” she told FMT. “But we want to return our support for BN this by-election.

“PH did not fulfil its promises. The cost of living is still very high. I am confident that BN can win here.”

The Semenyih state constituency is part of the Hulu Langat parliamentary constituency.

The by-election, the sixth since GE14, was triggered by the death of PPBM’s Bakthiar Mohd Nor on Jan 11.

He won the seat with an 8,964-vote majority in a four-way contest against BN, PAS and PSM.