This article first appeared in The Edge Malaysia Weekly on August 7, 2023 - August 13, 2023

AS the sun sets over Kampung Sungai Batu, a coastal village in the southern part of Penang island, fisherman Rizuan Yusoff, 52, is resting at the Sungai Batu Fishermen’s Association, which is housed in a modest shed that looks out to sea.

Nearby, other fishermen are mending their nets, playing chess or watching the local TV channel.

Rizuan, a committee member of the association, which has about 200 members, speaks favourably of the PH state government despite his objection to the Penang South Islands (PSI) reclamation project, which will hurt his livelihood.

The new urban development off the coast of Penang Island — which the state government is promoting as a catalytic development scheme — has met with strong objections from the fishing community and public interest groups.

“We are aware that even if the [Penang] government changes, the project will go on because there is an agreement,” says Rizuan, who grew up in the Bayan Lepas district, under the Balik Pulau federal constituency.

“What we are doing is just slowing down the development,” he says, referring to the protests that the fisherfolk have been holding to draw attention to their predicament.

Originally envisaged as three islands covering 4,500 acres of reclaimed land, the project has been scaled down by 49%, incumbent chief minister Chow Kon Yeow announced in May.

Reclamation works, expected to cost RM6 billion, will be undertaken by SRS Consortium and the state’s Penang Infrastructure Corp, according to news reports. Common infrastructure was estimated to cost an additional RM2.5 billion.

Fisherman Rizuan is wearing a Penang 2030 Vision shirt, a major plan to develop the state’s welfare amenities, economy, democratic governance and infrastructure.

The father of two sons in their 20s, Rizuan is appreciative of the state government, which is headed by the DAP as the largest party, holding 19 of the 36 seats in the state legislative assembly. Its partners in the ruling PH-BN coalition are PKR (12 seats), Amanah (2) and BN (2). PAS holds the sole opposition seat.

Rizuan points out that contrary to the labelling of DAP as anti-Malay Muslim, the state government had provided an allocation for the local mosque.

Several Malays in urban Penang whom The Edge spoke to share this view, saying that they do not feel threatened under a non-Malay leadership. Zubaidah, 60, a small trader, who wished to be known by her first name, says the fear that DAP’s control of the government is a matter of concern for the Malays is “irrelevant”.

“Outsiders are saying that Penang is a Chinese monopolised state, or that Malays cannot announce the azan (Islamic call to prayer). No lah, they do not stop us from practising our religion,” says Zubaidah, while supervising her jeruk (pickled fruits) shop in busy Chowrasta Market, in the state capital George Town.

Adjusting her tudung, Zubaidah says she has worked in a Chinese company for a long time and grew up in Penang with many Chinese friends. Her four children, the youngest of whom is 28, are also working in Penang.

At New World Park in George Town, kitchen contractor Zaidi says many youths in his state constituency of Pulau Betong support the multiracial PKR party. Asked for his view on DAP’s leadership in Penang, he responds with “sama je” (just the same), comparing it to Gerakan’s leadership of Penang since 1969, which was also predominantly Chinese.

In the 2008 general election, Gerakan, then under the BN coalition, suffered a wipeout in Penang. The party has since joined the PN coalition, aligning with PAS and Bersatu. In the Aug 12 state election, Gerakan’s candidates will mostly be standing against DAP.

Malay voters whom The Edge spoke to in the northern and southern regions of the Penang mainland expressed support for PN, mainly Malay parties Bersatu and PAS. In Sungai Acheh, Malay stall owners and workers selling confectionery on a street in Kampung Sungai Acheh predicted that PN would secure the state constituency.

A BN stronghold for a long time, Sungai Acheh fell to PH in the 2018 general election by a razor-thin majority of 416 votes to PKR representative Zulkifli Ibrahim. He later switched camp to Bersatu, turning the area under the Nibong Tebal federal constituency into a PN seat in 2020.

While serving Sungai Acheh for only a single term, Zulkifli has received praise from his voters, as they said the state assemblyman, born and raised in Nibong Tebal, was always attending to the needs of the community. Whether Zulkifli, 43, is able to defend his seat in the present circumstances is moot, given that he won the seat as a fresh PKR candidate in 2018 by a mere margin of 2.5%.

Some voters interviewed mentioned that BN candidate Rashidi Zinol, 53, might have a 50% chance of success. As head of the Nibong Tebal Umno division, Rashidi is no stranger in the community, though “he stands out less compared with Zulkifli”.

In Penaga, restaurant owner Raheem says politics is a common topic among people in the state constituency, which has 93.3% Malay voters. He says the chatter in his eatery is that most residents in Penaga would vote for PN, with a strong liking for PAS.

In Bertam, south of Penaga and also in the Kepala Batas federal constituency, where former minister Datuk Seri Reezal Merican Naina Merican (BN) meets incumbent Khaliq Mehtab Mohd Ishaq (PN), Muhammad Rais Hamzah Amir Ismadi, 20, an employee at a retail outlet, is looking to vote for the second time.

Although Rais is familiar with Reezal, a two-term Kepala Batas member of parliament (MP) who lost in the 15th general election (GE15) in November, he is keen to see which candidate will help youths.

“I am looking for any financial assistance, like an allowance for youths. I want to buy a car after I had a bike accident but I can’t afford the down payment with my salary,” Rais tells The Edge at the checkout counter of the convenience store.

The views among Malay youths, who formed much of the “green wave” last year, are somewhat mixed this time around. Several who were interviewed found that Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim’s leadership in the past nine months is “food for thought”, as the premier appears to be trying hard to steer the economy out of the doldrums.

Engineering student Nur Adibah Wan Abdul Shukor, 21, who would be voting for the second time in her Penanti constituency, observes an apparent shift in the political views of those in her age group over the months. “It seems like they are more conscious of issues in the country and the economy,” she says.

Overall, PH — now partnering with BN — is unlikely to lose control of Penang, a 49.3% Chinese-majority electorate, with the Chinese fearing the Islamist influence of PAS.

Chinese living in urban Penang Island continue to be satisfied with the administration by the PH government, which has maintained economic growth and a comparatively low unemployment rate since the pandemic.

Last year, Penang recorded gross domestic product growth of 13.1%, placing it among the top five states in the country with high growth, data from the Department of Statistics Malaysia shows. Its performance follows through with GDP per capita at RM69,684 in 2022, which was above the national average of RM54,863.

Although surprised by the cooperation between former rivals PH and BN in the Aug 12 state polls, the Chinese see Umno in BN as a moderate Malay party compared to PAS. They are also buying into the idea of the current unity government — comprising PH, BN and the East Malaysian blocs of Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS), Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS) and Warisan — to propel Malaysia’s economy forward.

DAP has said it will not be complacent, however, and does not view any seat as “safe”, after witnessing the loss suffered by former Permatang Pauh MP Nurul Izzah Anwar. The PKR vice-president, who is Anwar’s daughter and widely known as “puteri reformasi” (princess of reformation), lost the seat in GE15 that her family had held since 1982.

The Edge’s conversations on the ground also show that the Chinese community in Penang are uncertain about the inclination of Malay voters or whether the “green wave” — PAS having emerged from GE15 as the single-biggest party — will expand.

Taking no chances, the Penang Unity Manifesto, launched by PH and BN, is loaded with aid for Penangites. These include free laptops for B40 students who receive offer letters from higher education institutions, RM600 per year for e-hailing riders, a one-off RM1,000 assistance for Hajj pilgrims from the B40 group, and a special rental housing scheme for youths or single individuals.

While there were also voters who were reserved and guarded in expressing their political views, most of the electorate residing in Penang are not so apolitical as not to turn out for the ballot, as they still view voting as a responsibility of citizens. “Undi itu rahsia [our vote is secret],” as they say.

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