Sg Bakap polls: Indian votes can be deciding factor, support for Unity Govt remains strong

Relying on this potential, the two candidates - from Pakatan Harapan (PH) and Perikatan Nasional (PN) - are actively approaching the Indian community with various programmes to garner votes.

Unity Government elections director Rafizi Ramli highlighted that the number of Indian voters in the Sungai Bakap state assembly is notably large in comparison to other state constituencies in Malaysia.

"When one group of voters exceeds 10 per cent of the total number, it is considered a 'big seat' for that particular community.

"As far as I can remember, there are no more than 10 state constituencies in Malaysia where Indian voters exceed 15 per cent. At 17 per cent, the Indian voters in Sungai Bakap constitute a significant demographic," he told Bernama recently.

Rafizi, also the deputy president of Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR), expressed satisfaction with the pace of the campaign. He described the support of the Sungai Bakap Indian community for PH candidate Dr Joohari Ariffin as strong, noting no issues or sentiments similar to those in Kuala Kubu Baharu, Selangor, where certain parties advocated boycotting the by-election.

However, the Minister of Economy cautioned that this situation poses risks because when the support of a certain group of voters is strong, they may feel comfortable and thus not turn out to vote.

Meanwhile, Deputy Entrepreneur Development and Cooperatives Minister Datuk R. Ramanan said that the support of Indian voters for the Unity Government remains steadfast at 100 per cent, especially in the Sungai Bakap state constituency and hopes that this support will translate into votes on July 6.

"From an external perspective, the support of the Indian community may seem slow, but within Sungai Bakap, it is remarkably strong. However, we must exert effort because most Indian voters reside outside the constituency.

"Therefore, they need to return here to vote and to facilitate this, the Unity Government's machinery has several strategies such as providing transport and conducting 'get out the vote' (GOTV) campaigns," he explained.

Ramanan also said that the Indian community is becoming increasingly aware of government initiatives aimed at their development, such as the Indian Community Entrepreneur Development Scheme (SPUMI) under the National Entrepreneurial Group Economic Fund (TEKUN Nasional), the Bank Rakyat Indian Entrepreneur Financing-i (BRIEF-i), and the Prosperity Empowerment and A New Normal for Indian Women (PENN).

Echoing this sentiment is PKR vice-president and Deputy National Unity Minister K. Saraswathy, who described the level of acceptance of the candidate fielded by PH as very encouraging due to the support for the Unity Government.

"The support of the Indian community remains strong, even if they have concerns or issues that can be clarified. Their main concern is welfare assistance because many of them are not registered in the eKasih (National Poverty Data Bank)," she said.

Dismissing claims that support from the Indian community has shifted to PN, Indian Community Transformation Unit (MITRA) Special Task Force Committee chairman P Prabakaran said that Indian voters' support for PH and the Unity Government remains strong.

He pointed out that the victory in the Kuala Kubu Baharu state by-election on May 11 demonstrated continued public support for the government.

The Batu Member of Parliament also said that MITRA is actively implementing initiatives for the Indian community, including the 2024/2025 Private Kindergarten Early Education Subsidy and Dialysis Subsidy programmes, which began accepting applications on June 24.

According to Election Commission (EC) records for the 2023 Penang state election, Indian voters make up 17.39 per cent of the total 38,409 voters in the Sungai Bakap state constituency with 59.36 per cent Malay voters, 22.54 per cent Chinese, and 0.71 per cent other ethnicities.

The Sungai Bakap state by-election on July 6, being held following the death of incumbent Nor Zamri Latiff on May 24 due to stomach inflammation, sees a straight fight between PH candidate Joohari and PN candidate Abidin Ismail.

-- BERNAMA