Balik Pulau is a still municipality in a constituency. Pictures by K.E. Ooi
GEORGE TOWN, Jan 8 The Balik Pulau subdivision competence be a largest a single on a island though it has a slightest number of purebred electorate with usually 39,765 electorate compared to a over 40,000 purebred electorate in farming constituencies on a mainland or some-more than 60,000 electorate in not as big constituencies in a heart of George Town. This is due to a vast tract of hilly land as great as forested turf which a subdivision covers, from a busy locale of Bayan Lepas down to a valley of a still Balik Pulau municipality as great as right around to a fishing villages of Teluk Bahang.
For a longest time, Balik Pulau was a place a city folks of George Town would rsther than not visit except during durian season.
This farming subdivision has been an Umno building given 1969. The voters, consisting of about 60 per cent Malays, have been mostly pro-Barisan Nasional (BN) as great as have been fiercely constant to BN as great as Umno.
However, a waves turned in 2008 with Pakatan Rakyat (PR) managing to win a chair even if it was by usually a tiny majority. A BN grassroots personality pronounced it was probably due to a unpopularity of a BN claimant as great as not since of flourishing await for PR.
After a! ll, a th ree state constituencies underneath Balik Pulau have been all now hold by BN, yet any with not as big majorities.
So what happened? In 2004, Datuk Seri Dr Hilmi Yahaya (BN) won a parliamentary chair with a massive infancy of 12,937 votes.
A true-blue Balik Pulau child who was innate as great as bred there, Hilmi is a familiar as great as obvious figure desired as great as respected by many villagers.
"Everyone here knows Hilmi as great as everybody loves him since he is always starting down to a belligerent to assistance a people," pronounced a Balik Pulau Umno Youth cabinet member.
An aerial view of Balik Pulau. The subdivision has tighten to 40,000 voters.
But in 2008, Umno decided to field an additional claimant Datuk Dr Norraesah Mohamad for a Balik Pulau chair as great as Hilmi went behind to Teluk Bahang to contest for a state assembly seat. He won though with a not as big infancy 465 votes.
And of course, Umno mislaid a parliamentary chair of Balik Pulau to PKR's Yusmadi Yusoff who won with a 708-vote majority.
This entrance elections though, Hilmi is set to have a play to wring a chair behind from Pakatan.
"We all wish Hilmi to be there. The prior elections BN mislaid this chair since they placed someone whom a villagers have been not familiar with," a Balik Pulau Umno multiplication cabinet part of said.
"It doesn't make a difference who Hilmi goes up opposite though with him there, you have been sure which you will be removing some-more await compared to 2008," pronounced Balik Pulau Wanita Umno cabinet part of Fatimah Idris.
She pronounced all a villagers cared about is a claimant as great as possibly he/she is som! eone the y like.
"Hilmi is still a preferred claimant by a constituents," she said.
Another Balik Pulau Umno Youth cabinet part of disagreed though, observant it was now rsther than hard to decider a people's sentiments, especially those who have been now some-more unprotected to various media as great as influences through a Internet.
"It will be utterly difficult for BN to win behind this chair as a electorate could pitch to PR even yet a claimant is someone they've well known for many years," he said.
Balik Pulau is great well known for its durians as great as Penang folk have a direct route there during durian season.
"Many villagers have been happy with these handouts as great as they competence only feel 'indebted' to BN, during slightest enough to wish to vote for BN again," he said.
Despite this, he admitted which this does not guarantee votes if a electorate had already switched loyalty to PR.
"For farming people, loyalty is a single of their main values as great as you have been banking on all a diehard BN supporters to go on ancillary us though in new years, many have switched loyalty as great as this is worrying," he said.
"But this does not meant which a choice of claimant does not have a difference as during a finish of a day, a large chunk of a electorate go for a claimant rsther than than a party," he added.
A Balik Pulau PKR part of as great as Penang Island municipal councillor Sr Mohd Zahry Shaikh Abdul Rahman pronounced villagers nowadays have been different from prior to as they have been some-more well-informed as great as secure about what Pakatan ! Rakyat h as to offer.
"They have been some-more open to Pakatan Rakyat now compared to multiform years ago as great as realize which they have zero to fear," he said.
"Maybe they don't wish Hilmi to be there any some-more as he has served for 5 terms possibly as Teluk Bahang representative or Balik Pulau MP," a Teluk Bahang PKR multiplication personality said.
The alternative name which has come up is Muhamad Farid Saad, a obligatory Pulau Betong assemblyman.
Farid has been hard during work starting down to a belligerent as great as he is yet an additional favourite as great as familiar face which locals can brand with.
Whether Umno fields Hilmi or Farid, a chairman they have been expected to face off opposite is Balik Pulau PKR chief Datuk Abdul Halim Hussain, who is also a state assembly Speaker.
If which happens, it will be a second time Abdul Halim as great as Hilmi face any other. In 2008, Abdul Halim was degraded by Hilmi for a Teluk Bahang state seat.
PKR is expected to field Abdul Halim in Balik Pulau.
There have been some-more than 35 per cent Chinese electorate in a area while four per cent have been Indians.
Abdul Halim admits which PKR is a loser in Balik Pulau. "We confess which it is starting to be difficult as this is Umno's building though you have been sure which some-more villagers now have access to a Internet as great as information so they can have some-more informed choices," he toldThe Malaysian Insider.
Did a obligatory Balik Pulau MP! Yusmadi leave a bad sense with his visit absences from a constituency?
Commuting in between Penang as great as Kuala Lumpur, a immature counsel MP did not do much to attraction himself to his constituents.
Zahry pronounced a villagers still have a mindset which they contingency see their parliamentarians in chairman continually to cruise a MP as "hardworking."
"He is a great parliamentarian though perhaps he is too modernized for his electorate so maybe he is some-more matched to a some-more urbanised area," he added.
Perhaps this is a reason because party leaders have decided not to let him defend his chair though instead competence place him in a chair in Kuala Lumpur where he spends many of his time nowadays.
"We don't see him which much here as his work is based in KL as great as we have listened which he wants to contest in KL so it is a great move to put Abdul Halim here instead of him," an additional Teluk Bahang PKR multiplication part of said.
Though he would not confirm which he will be fielded as a claimant for Balik Pulau, Abdul Halim pronounced he had been visiting a subdivision as great as you do his door-to-door rounds already.
"We have been still removing great positive response from a people of Balik Pulau," he said.
As it stands, PKR looks similar to it will have a difficult time fortifying a Balik Pulau seat.
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Courtesy of Bonology.com Politically Incorrect Buzz & Buzz
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