To win, candidates must solve Kota Raja conundrum

GE13 WATCH Hindraf leader P Uthayakumar's decision to contest as an Independent for the Kota Raja parliamentary seat in the 13th general election means that MIC, which is trying to regain a seat that once used to be its stronghold, would need to appeal to non-Indian voters as much as it appeals to Indian voters.

Uthayakumar brings with him a long-standing reputation as a voice for marginalised Indians.

Though he's seen more as a lone ranger due to the separate factions of Hindraf, he looks set to pull some Indian votes in his direction in a constituency which has the largest Indian voter base in the country at 29 percent.

But Uthayakumar, who has admitted that he would be an "underdog" up against MIC secretary-general S Murugesan and PAS' Dr Siti Mariah Mahmud, the incumbent here, will have his work cut out in pulling Malay and Chinese votes, which he would still need in order to cause an upset.

He continues to hold traction with the Indian community in Kota Raja, which belong to the lower income group and shares Uthayakumar's sentiments that they are not provided enough opportunities to be part of the mainstream development in the country.

But with Uthayakumar focusing mainly on the plight of the Indians, he is merely relying on the premise that Malays and Chinese in the constituency will support him based on humanitarian grounds.

"In developed countries, the majority takes care of and looks after the minority. It could happen here too," he said, remaining hopeful of an upset - drawing similarities with incumbent Johor Bahru MP Shahrir Samad's feat of winning as an independent back in 1988.

"I want to become a MP so that I can raise a motion in Parliament to criminalise racism and also get Malaysia to ratify the United Nations convention on eliminating all forms of racism," he added.

Murugesan's five pledges

But while Uthayakumar focuses on the Indian voters as he walks from one coffee shop to another conducting small group ceramahs and conversations, Murugesan needs to focus on a larger mix of voters if MIC were to deliver the seat back to BN.

Most of Murugesan's campaign workers, have only recently started work in the constituency - he hosts dinners, futsal tournaments, and events in order to draw crowds and use his appeal as a former TV show host and as a scandal-free leader to gain votes.

He has even come up with five pledges should he be given the mandate to be the MP for Kota Raja - improve public transportation, reduce crime, solve long-standing flood problems, build 5 1Malaysia clinics, and set up government childcare centres.

He is hitching on the popularity of caretaker Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak, perceived to be a popular leader for a largely unpopular government, to be given the mandate. In some parts of Kota Raja, banners appealing for BN votes merely says 'Undilah perdana menteri' (Vote for the prime minister).

What Murugesan does have in his favour are obviously resources and a well-equipped team to handle all of his events and his scheduling.

Najib recently made a trip to Kota Raja to endorse Murugesan and applaud his "pledges", which are emblazoned in huge billboards across the constituency.

Personal touch

But what might work against him is the lack of a personal touch, something that incumbent PAS' Dr Siti Mariah Mahmud definitely does not lack.

When she gets into her car to make some early morning visits to the more remote parts of the constituency which is divided between Klang and Shah Alam municipal council boundaries, she apologises curtly for the reading materials strewn in the backseat.

"Sorry, my car is my home," she said.

Though she said that she had started work from the first day of being elected in Kota Raja five years ago and has visited nearly all the localities here, she's not taking her challengers for granted, not even the other lesser known Independent Azman Idrus, whose posters are hardly visible in the constituency.

She has been sleeping in her office in Sentosa, Klang since nomination day to save travelling time as her family home is in Sungai Buloh, an arduous 45-minute drive away.

"At the end of the day, all votes matter. Not to forget, we have an increase of more than 30,000 new voters here. What worked with the voters in 2008 might not work with the new voters. So I need to meet them as well," she said.

"They (Uthayakumar and Murugesan) are going to pull away my Indian votes, as there are some ardent Hindraf supporters. The other Independent, Azman, is an Indian Muslim. He has a small following, so he will pull some Indian Muslim votes," she added.

But refreshingly, Mariah notes that the campaign period is merely "the last leg of a race".

"I don't think I can do anything spectacular to get people's votes. I think even the Indian voters have the trust in me," she said.

"I never ask people who they support. I serve everyone without asking. And end of the day, Najib is not going to come down and serve this constituency. I'm touching as much base as possible," she added.

'MIC is part of the problem'

Mariah is not a politician who minces her words, describing the pledges made by Murugesan as "bulls**t".

"We have improved the drainage system and have a retention pond to help alleviate the flooding problem. As for gangsterism and safety, MIC is part of the problem. Some MIC leaders are linked to the gangs that roam here."

"We already have a plan sketched out, with the approval with the Land Public Transport Commission to have local public transportation in these districts. There are already two 1Malaysia clinics here, and complaints were receive that these clinics to do not have medicines."

"You can't change everything overnight the moment you become an MP. An MP can only do so much. The central agency also plays a part, along with state agencies," she said.

"I show people why I can't solve certain things. I show them the parliamentary answer to where the MP allocation for here went to. And I tell people go and ask this person for the money, because the money doesn't come to me.

"But if you want to blame me for the shortcomings here, then go ahead," she said, speaking while having breakfast with her constituents.

But much of Kota Raja's unpredictability will come from the huge bastion of first-time voters. There were only 71,887 voters in 2008 when Mariah trounced MIC's then incumbent S Vigneswaran by a whopping 20,751-vote majority.

There are 105,995 registered voters, with 44 percent of them being Malay, 29 percent Indians, and 25 percent Chinese.

Kota Raja also has a heady mix of income groups - from the elite and affluent areas in Kota Kemuning, to the middle-range and heavily Indian-populated areas such as Sri Muda and Sentosa, and also the long barren roads where flocks of cattle are visible on the side of the road such as in Jalan Kebun and Bukit Kemuning.

Though located well within Klang Valley, this is not a typical urban seat where national issues take precedence over local issues - survival and bread-and-butter issues, as Mariah admitted, are what the majority of the electorate here look at.

And there's plenty of work ahead for all four candidates as they are make themselves visible to every nook and cranny of Kota Raja.