Final touches: Election Commission officials preparing for the nomination process for the Ayer Kuning by-election in Tapah. — Bernama
IPOH: A little-known corner of Perak between Tapah and Kampar, called Ayer Kuning, will come alive today, courtesy of a by-election.
Ayer Kuning’s lack of development – its town centre does not have a bank and the nearest post office is 11km away – will likely be the focus of competing coalitions and parties, says KS Bawani, a native of Ayer Kuning who is contesting in the by-election.
Nomination for candidates is expected to start at 9am today and so far Barisan Nasional, Perikatan Nasional and Parti Sosialis Malaysia (PSM) have announced that they will contest.
Polling is set on April 26 after a 14-day campaigning period.
Barisan will be represented by Tapah Umno secretary Dr Mohamad Yusri Bakir, 54, Perikatan by Tapah PAS chairman Abd Muhaimin Malek, 43, while PSM by Bawani, its secretary-general.
Although Barisan is still the favourite to win and retain the seat, an upset from Perikatan would give the opposition a confidence boost and show that voters are unhappy with the two-and-a-half-year-old Barisan-Pakatan Harapan state government.
Ayer Kuning is often touted as a Barisan stronghold, having been won by Umno since it was created in 1986.
The late Ishsam Shahruddin had garnered 9,088 votes in the 15th General Election in 2022 while Pakatan’s Mohd Nazrin Hashim polled 6,875.
Perikatan’s Muhammad Noor Farid Zainal received 6,812 votes while Bawani got 586 votes.
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3Perak Mentri Besar and state Barisan chairman Datuk Seri Saarani Mohamad had recently set a target of securing at least 18,000 votes, anticipating that the combined support by Barisan and Pakatan would be sufficient to win the state seat.
The state unity government has 32 state seats (Pakatan 24, Barisan eight) while Perikatan has 26.
A Barisan win will ensure political stability and boost the state government’s momentum to continue with its Perak Sejahtera 2030 development plan.
One of two state constituencies under the Tapah parliamentary seat, Ayer Kuning is considered a rural area with a majority Malay population.
According to Bawani, the economy is predominantly based on agriculture, such as farms and mostly oil palm estates.
“There are factories as well but not many. There’s just really not much development in the area,” said the 39-year-old.
Bawani, who is also Perak PSM chairman, said there are no banks in the constituency’s commercial centre.
“Residents have to travel either to Kampar or Tapah to visit a bank while the nearest post office is in Temoh, about 11km away,” she said.
Bawani added that other issues included public transportation, public utilities and local council services.
“There are only three buses daily, which travel between Kampar and Teluk Intan and folk here are hoping for more buses.
“Electricity and telecommunication services need to be improved as some areas have power cuts and poor telecommunication coverage.
“There is also a need for better drainage and more street lights,” she added.
Barisan’s campaign, meanwhile, will focus on the state government’s Perak Sejahtera 2030 plan to boost growth, investment and create jobs.
Based on the latest information by the Election Commission, there are 31,897 eligible voters divided among 19 polling stations.
Of the total, 50.1% or 15,980 are women while 49.9% or 15,917 are men.
