TAPAH: Encouraged by how more voters are opening up to her, Parti Sosialis Malaysia’s (PSM) KS Bawani (pic) hopes she will do better this time despite the near-impossible odds that she faces in the Ayer Kuning by-election.
The last time she ran for the state seat during the 15th General Election (GE15) in November 2022, Bawani and PSM only received 586 out of the constituency’s roughly 31,000 eligible votes.
In comparison, Barisan Nasional, which won the seat, received 9,088 votes.
Pundits have opined that this time, Bawani still has almost no chance of beating her two rivals, Dr Mohamad Yusri Bakir of Barisan and Abd Muhaimin Malek of Perikatan Nasional.
However, the lawyer and human rights activist remains unfazed, dedicating herself and her team to thoroughly exploring every corner of this rural area situated between Teluk Intan and Kampar.
“People know PSM quite well now. Social media has helped showcase the party’s past work and current efforts.
“I feel people are more receptive now. They open up and share concerns with us,” said the 39-year-old candidate when met during a walkabout in Ayer Kuning town.
“We have reached out to more than 80% of the constituency. These last two days, we are going all out.
“We are also trying to reach the youngsters through social media, as many parents say that their children are still in Singapore and might not return to vote.”
Bawani, who is PSM deputy secretary-general, said she hopes for a favourable turnout rate on polling day.
“We would rather not see a low turnout, as people are looking for a change. I’m really worried that the turnout will be at about 70% as predicted by the Election Commission (EC).
“There are about 31,000 voters in Ayer Kuning. An 80-90% turnout will give a clear answer to the current government regarding what is going on,” Bawani added.
In GE15, Barisan’s Ishsam Shahruddin polled 9,088 votes to win by a 2,213-vote majority, defeating Pakatan Harapan’s Mohd Nazri Hashim, Perikatan’s Muhammad Noor Farid, Pejuang’s Maziah Salim, and Bawani.
Despite the better reception that she has received this time around, Bawani said some individuals are still uncomfortable with the party’s presence.
“In Kampung Coldstream and Tapah Road, our flags were taken down.
“We have lodged reports with the police and the EC,” Bawani added, expressing frustration as the campaign materials were funded through public contributions.
“We’re a small party. Even our chairman Dr Michael Jeyakumar Devaraj helped personally to put up flags.”
