Those in the fishing village of Kukup say PH does not appear to have made good on the promises in its election manifesto, especially on reducing the cost of living.
Food stall operator Muhd Fahmi Malau A Kadir said nothing seemed to have changed on this front, adding that petrol prices have not gone down either.
“Be it the sales and services tax or the goods and services tax, prices are still the same. And we’ve actually gone back to the weekly petrol price now,” he told FMT.
Fahmi, who voted on May 9 last year, said locals want an elected representative who listens to the people.
“We do not care if he is Chinese or Malay. I do not see the trend of Chinese only supporting the Chinese candidate, or Malays only supporting the Malay candidate here,” he added.
Another resident who wished to be known as Wei Sheng said he was not happy with the delay in recognising the Unified Examination Certificate (UEC).
“I do not think I am the only one who is not satisfied with education issues involving the Chinese community,” he said, adding that the people had been promised only “candies” in GE14.
When asked whether he had seen improvements since PH took over the federal government, Wei Sheng said it was difficult to see any.
“The economy is not moving and prices are going up,” he added, staying mum however on which candidate would get his vote.
Construction worker Ito said he hoped former MP Wee Jeck Seng could make a comeback in Tanjung Piai. Wee, Barisan Nasional’s (BN) candidate from MCA, lost his parliamentary seat in GE14 after holding it for two terms.
“We have known him for many years, and we are familiar with the way he works with the locals,” Ito said.
When asked about PH candidate Karmaine Sardini, he said the PPBM man “may be good, but we do not know him”.
“It’s not that he’s at a disadvantage due to his age,” he added.
He, too, said he had not seen any change in the constituency since PH took over, adding that Md Farik Md Rafik, whose death in September triggered the by-election in Tanjung Piai, had only carried on the work of Wee before him.
Ito said he is not a member of any BN party but that he would support the coalition no matter who it fields for the by-election.
“The elected representative must not forget where he came from,” he said.
Retiree Chen Shui Seng meanwhile said he had decided to vote for Wee whom he called a hardworking MP.
Wee is up against five others in the fight for Tanjung Piai. Aside from Karmaine, he also faces Gerakan’s Wendy Subramaniam, Berjasa’s Badhrulhisham Abdul Aziz, and independent candidates Faridah Aryani Abdul Ghaffar and Ang Chuan Lock.