Pahang set for strong show

Pahang set for strong show
By Simon Khoo
Tuesday February 19, 2008

PAHANG has been one of Barisan Nasional's traditional strongholds and this is unlikely to change come March 8.

Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Adnan Yaakob is upbeat and this stems from the fact that Pahang has never been a target of the Opposition, particularly PAS.

Even during the height of the Umno leadership tussle in 1999, Pahang lost only eight state seats to the Opposition, whereas its neighbour Terengganu fell into PAS' hands.

In the 2004 general election, Pahang Barisan almost made a clean sweep of the 42 state seats, capturing 41. It also won all the 14 parliamentary seats at stake.

Triang, the sole opposition stronghold since 1990, will be seeing new faces squaring off this time.

Four-term assemblyman Leong Ngah Ngah of the DAP has announced that he will not be seeking a fifth term.

This could work in Barisan's favour. Both Adnan and state Gerakan chairman Dr Ng Keong Chye opined that Barisan could regain the seat with the “right candidate.”

“I voted for YB Leong not because of his party but because of his humility and down-to-earth personality,” said a local resident.

Rightfully so, as not many assemblymen are willing to help their voters by queuing up and paying for their utility bills!

Under “national consensus”, the seat will be contested by Gerakan.

Among the DAP leaders eyeing Triang are Ng Kwi Liang, who defied the party leadership's directive by supporting his son Chee Pang to contest in the Batu Talam by-election early last year.

After six failed attempts, Ng, 56, is hoping to end his political career on a winning note.

However, we may not see the last of Leong as the latest 'news' has it that he may be pressured to contest again to ensure “an opposition voice in the state assembly.”

State DAP chief Lip Tuck Chee is also gearing up for “one last battle” in Teras. At 63, it is make or break for Lip, who has contested and lost in eight general elections and two by-elections.

Lip said the other state seat the DAP was eyeing was Sabai, where the party would be relying on Indian voters and fence sitters to win.

PAS is targeting the six state seats it last won in 1999 but its chances appear slim due to the absence of delicate issues.

The high prices of commodities such as palm oil and rubber would mean the loss of votes from Felda settlements.

Also Pahang's economy is on “the move” with projects listed under the East Coast Economic Region (ECER) slowly taking shape.

The state will be the ECER's logistics gateway to the Asean and Asia-Pacific regions as its ports, airport, roads and rail services will be upgraded.

The blueprint is expected to raise the income of nearly four million people and create 560,000 new jobs, in addition to attracting some RM112bil in investments over the next 12 years.

The opposition parties have managed to reach an agreement for one-to-one contests against Barisan in all seats to prevent the coalition from notching easy victories.

But for now, Adnan’s concern is not so much on opposition parties but rather the Yang Berhormats themselves.

Although Adnan has kept silent, several underperforming assemblymen are likely to be axed.

“I have advised them to respect the decision of the party’s leadership. There has never been an assemblyman for life in the history of the general election,” he stressed.

Adnan’s position, too, has become a topic of speculation due to his “close ties” with the top two leaders of the country.

He has expressed his readiness to move to the federal level and even thanked his detractors for spreading the news.

Should he go, Bera MP Datuk Ismail Sabri Yaakob is the front-runner to replace him

but two serving exco members – Datuk Mohd Sharkar Shamsuddin and Datuk Mohd Soffi Abdul Razak – cannot also be ruled out.

Science, Technology and Innovation Minister Datuk Seri Dr Jamaluddin Jarjis is also being tipped for the job.

Elsewhere, there are unlikely to be changes involving the three MPs from the MCA – Datuk Liow Tiong Lai (Bentong), Datuk Dr Ng Yen Yen (Raub) and Datuk Fu Ah Kiow (Kuantan).

Cameron Highlands MP S.K. Devamany, however, is as good as gone for speaking up on the Hindu Rights Action Force issue. -- The Star News