CHUKAI: They are not big in number, but the Indian community in Kemaman, a district in the south of Terengganu, wants the candidate elected as their parliamentary representative in this by-election to be vocal enough to raise the voice of the minority at the federal level.
E. Navin, 24, who is going to the polls for the third time in a year, hoped that the person elected as Kemaman MP would discharge the responsibilities entrusted upon him well and take care of every constituent, regardless of religion and race.
“The Indian community in Kemaman has assimilated with the way of life of the Malays.
“We have no problem, we understand and respect each other’s way of life.
“Our hope is that the person elected as our MP looks into the welfare of his constituents by treating them equally regardless of their race and religion,” the Universiti Malaya Bachelor of International and Strategic Studies graduate told Bernama.
Out of a total of 141,790 eligible voters in the by-election, about 800 of them are Indian voters.
The Kemaman by-election, called following the Sept 26 decision by the Terengganu Elections Court to nullify PAS candidate Che Alias Hamid’s victory in the 15th General Election, sees a straight fight between Barisan Nasional candidate Gen (B) Tan Sri Raja Mohamed Affandi Raja Mohamed Noor and PAS’ Terengganu Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Samsuri Mokhtar.
Navin said one of the main needs of the Indian community in Kemaman is a community hall as a venue for them to carry out social, welfare and spiritual activities.
“In Kemaman, there is only one temple... but not everything can be done in the temple because it is a house of worship.
“What we need is a community hall for us to carry out social activities,” he added.
Goat breeder, S. Sarita, 30, wants the standard of education of Indian children to improve and expressed the hope that the elected representative could help reduce the number of school dropouts.
“We need to focus on the education of these Indian children so that they are interested in learning and do not get caught up in bad things,” he said.
“The rising cost of living is also burdening the people and this needs to be given attention by the MP.
“The cost of living in Kemaman is as high as in Kuala Lumpur, but the minimum wage given is low, not like in the city,” he added.
