LABIS, Jan 25 — Profits from soaring commodity prices have made many of the villagers in Tenang unable to relate to Pakatan Rakyat’s (PR) campaign message, which is raising the recent price hikes as an election issue.
The constituency’s rural Malay community, many of whom are smallholders, are seeing an unprecedented increase in income, largely attributed to the high palm oil and rubber prices.
Even rubber tappers are earning about RM2,000 a month after dividing with the land owners the proceeds from the sale of cup lump, or the unprocessed hardened latex.
Some of the locals told The Malaysian Insider that the prosperity has made PR’s public rallies unattractive.
Even a rally attended by Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim in Felda Tenang on nomination day attracted only a small crowd.
“Most of us are comfortable. I can say more than 80 per cent of villagers here are not facing difficulties,” said Razak Ahmad, who owns a rubber and palm oil smallholding in his village of Kampung Tenang.
The 50 year old, who admitted to being a staunch Umno supporter, said it was very unlikely for the Malay party’s Azahar Ibrahim to lose in the January 30 by-election.
“The opposition only talks about price hikes. But we can understand the price hikes, when I was a kid sugar was 15 sen a kati, cup lump was 8 sen,” Razak told The Malaysian Insider.
“Now cup lump is about RM6 per kilogram and sugar is RM2, so things are actually getting better,” he added.
Another villager, Mohsin Amir, said he no longer needs his siblings’ financial assistance.
“I used to borrow money from my siblings who are all in the civil service. Now I don’t need to do so, I can even save some money at the end of the month,” said Mohsin.
Mohsin manages a five-acre rubber smallholding owned by a fellow villager. He works for an average of 10 days every month and takes home about RM500 every week after dividing the proceeds equally with the land owner.
“The trees are young so I can’t tap every day. Those who work with mature trees are earning more,” said Mohsin.
The PAS campaign has been harping on the increase in the prices of fuel and sugar announced last December, when price of RON95 was increased to RM1.90 per litre, diesel to RM1.80 and liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) to RM1.90 per kilogram. Sugar now costs RM2.10 per kilogram.
The party even prepared campaign leaflets on the price hike, deploying almost similar tactics used in Election 2008 when the petrol price was increased from RM1.60 to RM1.90 months before the dissolution of Parliament.
“During Pak Lah’s time, the increase was very sharp. We were shocked and many shops took advantage of the hike, maybe that caused the opposition to increase their votes,” said local resident Mazlan Ibrahim.
Mazlan inherited a palm oil smallholding from his father but also runs his own business providing electrical services in Labis town.
“We have never seen palm oil prices this high. My father never expected this,” said Mazlan.
“I don’t really feel the pinch from the price hike, palm oil has helped in supplementing my income,” he added.
Similar stories could also be heard in Felda settlements in the constituency despite settlers having to share their income with the land authority; some settlers in Tenang also manage their own smallholding, providing addition income and job opportunities for tappers like Mohsin.
The Malays form about 48 per cent of the more than 14,000 Tenang voters. Half of the voters from the community live in the three Felda settlements while the rest either reside in the traditional villages across the constituency or civil servants who live near Labis town centre.
About 39 per cent of the voters are Chinese, while Indians form about 12 per cent of the electorate.
Barisan Nasional’s (BN) incumbency in the seat is expected to help the ruling coalition win the state seat but Umno officials are worried about the Chinese vote particularly as some voters return home to celebrate Chinese New Year next week.
“The Malay vote is safe but the Chinese vote is still not there. MCA has to work hard to bring them back,” a Johor Umno warlord told The Malaysian Insider, saying that price hikes affected the mainly urban Chinese.
“We’ll win but it is now about the majority. The high commodity prices and lack of local issues will help us,” he added.
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