Battle for Kuantan boils down to two heavyweights

KUANTAN: The battle for the Kuantan parliamentary seat comes down to two heavyweights in a four-cornered match – incumbent Fuziah Salleh from Pakatan Harapan and Barisan Nasional's Datuk Seri Ab Hamid Mohd Nazahar.

While their promises are similar – looking after the welfare and well-being of their constituents, addressing issues faced by the community and improving the economy for the state, Fuziah believes she has the advantage of being "the familiar face" who has been seeing to the needs of the constituents for years.

"Of my three opponents, I would say the Umno candidate is the strongest. PAS may have strong support for some state seats but not for (this) parliament seat.

"From the ground feel, people have assured me of their support. They may not be supporters of Pakatan but they support me because they know me. They compare what I have done against the other candidates and they want me back.

"Even the younger ones...I was quite surprised and happy to note that even they know me," she said.

The other two contestants are Perikatan Nasional's Wan Razali Wan Nor from PAS and Mejar (Rtd) Anuar Tajuddin from Pejuang.

This election, Fuziah cautioned, was a "matter of life or death".

"It is hidup mati...not just in Kuantan but the whole country. If we vote in the wrong leader, the country will continue to go down.

"We have seen how the leaders from the Barisan government plundered the country of so much. And if we give them the mandate, they will continue to plunder. That is not the way for Malaysia," she said.

Fuziah is optimistic however that voters, particularly young voters, will "vote to save the country".

"They are coming back to vote. They are smart, informed and they are voting to save their future and the country," she said.

Fuziah had contested the Kuantan seat since 1999 and first won it in 2008. She successfully fended off her challengers in GE13 and GE14 and is now seeking her fourth term in Parliament.

The Kuantan parliamentary constituency has 87,597 voters, of which 43,425 are female and 44,172 males.

The bulk of the voters – 43% of the total male voters and 42% of female voters – are those aged between 21 and 40, hence why this demographic has become the target of candidates.

Also making his round through Kuantan is Ab Hamid, sharing his #KitaJagaKuantan slogan. Like Fuziah, he too has been targeting youth voters in his campaign programmes.

"The youth will be the pillars to carry on our #KitaJagaKuantan agenda and help us keep it current. Only BN has the capacity to help them realise this agenda and ensure stability and prosperity for everyone in Kuantan," he said in a Facebook post.

Going up against the incumbent from Pakatan Harapan, he admitted, would be a challenge but he vowed to "fight till the end".

"The reception to BN has been good. This seat is regarded as a Tier One seat – we are against Pakatan and PN.

"The competition is tight but we will try our best. Hopefully voters will see Umno and BN's track record and how we have always been there for them no matter what, whether it is Covid-19 or the floods or anything else," he had said in an interview with news portal Malaysia Gazette TV earlier this week.