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

TERENGGANU is firmly in the hands of Parti Islam Se-Malaysia (PAS) for the upcoming state election, going by the results of the 15th general election (GE15). It swept all eight of the state’s parliamentary seats last November.

On the other hand, Barisan Nasional (BN) is banking on regaining the votes it lost to PAS and swaying young voters to its side in the state election, as it attempts to retain the 10 seats out of the 32 in Terengganu’s state assembly that it won in 2018.

Terengganu has an established oil and gas industry that forms the backbone of its economy, thanks to oilfields off its coast. With the state’s 200km of sandy beaches, local businesses are also supported by tourists.

Despite these geographical strengths, development in Terengganu has lagged behind its peers on the west coast, leading to a lack of infrastructure and job opportunities.

But it is hard to place the blame on a single party, as control of Malaysia’s most homogeneous state, in which 96.7% of the electorate is Malay, has shifted between the Malay-dominant former hegemon Umno and the Islamist PAS three times in the previous six state elections.

In GE15, when PAS teamed up with Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (Bersatu) under the Perikatan Nasional (PN) coalition, the voting pattern observed at the polling stations of the respective state constituencies showed that PN dominated votes in 31 state constituencies — with margins ranging from a low of 13.6% in Hulu Besut and a high of 49.7% in Sura.

BN scored a higher number of votes only in Telemung, with a slight margin of 3.5%.

In the upcoming state elections on Aug 12, BN-Umno will lead the unity government’s push in Terengganu by contesting 27 seats, while Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) aims for three seats, and Parti Amanah Negara (Amanah) targets two.

On PN’s side, PAS is fielding candidates for 27 seats, while Bersatu will contest the remaining five.

PN has named caretaker Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Samsuri Mokhtar of PAS as its menteri besar nominee. The Pakatan Harapan (PH)-BN team, meanwhile, has yet to name a nominee for the post as they focus on first achieving victory at the polls.

It is worth noting that among BN’s candidates are Kijal incumbent Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Said and Seberang Takir incumbent Datuk Seri Ahmad Razif Abdul Rahman, both of whom have previously served as Terengganu menteri besar.

BN is highlighting the need to continue developing the state holistically as the driving force of its campaign and is putting itself forward as the coalition for the job.

BN Terengganu chairman Ahmad Said, referred to by the locals as Mat Said, during a campaign talk in Kuala Terengganu on July 28, cited as examples, some developments initiated during his administration between 2008 and 2013.

“Kuala Terengganu, I want to ask you, who built the Urban Transformation Centre, Hotel Paya Bunga, bowling alley and four-lane roads?” Ahmad Said put the question to the hundreds of supporters who turned up at the event donned in blue, who in turn chanted “Mat Said!”.

However, support for BN appeared tame in contrast to the gathering for PAS’ candidate announcement in Marang just a day before. The staunch support shown by the party’s supporters was an eye-opening experience for the uninitiated.

The crowd of supporters came from all over Terengganu, many with their young children in tow. Attendance was estimated in the thousands and cars parked along the roadside stretched for kilometres.

PAS president and Marang member of parliament Tan Sri Abdul Hadi Awang mocked BN in his speech at the event, claiming Umno had sworn in God’s name that it would not form a government with PH but did not keep the promise.

PN candidates, meanwhile, had sworn to be fair and commit no wrongdoing, he said.

“For Muslims, ikrar and baiah (pledges) are important before Allah. We believe that political matters related to religion will be questioned in the afterlife,” the ustaz (religious teacher) said.

“Because of this, we ask that each [state constituency] work hard to ensure that we get all 32 seats in Terengganu,” he said, to affirmative roars from the crowd.

As the almost-three-hour event came to a close near midnight, supporters eagerly placed their donations for the party into plastic bags that were being passed around.

PAS supporters in attendance told The Edge that their loyalty to the party remains firm, with unquestioned support to the party in hopes that PN would achieve a “clean sweep” of Terengganu’s 32 state seats.

As to why they chose to support PAS, the responses were brief, with the most cited one being the stability that the PAS-led state government has provided, as well as their belief in the party’s pledge to uphold Islam.

When state issues such as lack of infrastructure and job opportunities were raised, supporters said these were “non-issues” because their day-to-day lives were already comfortable.

Dr Wan Rohila Ganti Wan Abdul Ghapar , a senior lecturer of law and international relations at Universiti Sultan Zainal Abidin (Unisza),  says PAS supporters equate their activism for PAS as a deed that will be rewarded by God and grant them entry to heaven. 

“Winning elections is just a bonus because regardless of whether PAS wins or loses, they  (the supporters) believe that Allah will reward them for their support. This may sound funny, but the afterlife is a real motivation and incentive for them to vote for PAS,” she says when contacted.

Her own survey on youths’ political leaning in Terengganu also showed 72% of them favouring the current PAS government, with 81% being satisfied with its performance.

This means the multi-racial and youth-centric Malaysian United Democratic Alliance (Muda), which is making its Terengganu election debut with its co-founder Luqman Long in Bandar in hopes that he would sway some young voters, will not have it easy either. 

Luqman will be up against Kuala Terengganu Umno division deputy chief Armi Irzan Mohd (BN) and Ahmad Shah Muhamed (PAS). 

“The idea is, of course, to win. But the other long-term plan is to create a footprint in Terengganu,” Luqman tells The Edge.

During BN Terengganu’s manifesto launch on July 25, Ahmad Said said the coalition wants to retake the Terengganu state assembly by regaining the 20% of Umno voters it lost to PAS in GE15.

He claimed that GE15 was not held on a level playing field in Terengganu, citing the vote-buying allegations that BN raised via election petitions to annul PN’s GE15 victories in Kuala Terengganu, Marang and Kemaman.

“Psychologically, it [money] influences their votes. Our [BN’s] campaign trail [in GE15] was lively — with lots of supporters. But when money was offered, they [PN] won with majorities of 30,000 to 40,000 votes,” he added.

Following BN’s petitions, the Terengganu Election Court invalidated PAS’ victory for the Kuala Terengganu parliamentary seat in GE15. The Marang and Kemaman election results are still pending court processes.

However, BN chairman Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi’s ongoing corruption trials are not helping BN in wooing former Umno supporters to return to BN’s fold.

Wan Mohd Yusof, a food stall operator at a major market in Kuala Terengganu, tells The Edge he is a BN supporter but would vote for PAS because BN kept Ahmad Zahid as chairman despite the latter’s ongoing graft cases.

“[Prime Minister] Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim said he wants to fight corruption, but he’s in bed with Zahid. If Zahid was thrown out, I would vote for BN and the unity government,” Wan Mohd says.

Across the road from Kuala Terengganu’s largest shopping mall, full-time Grab riders Suhairi and Ashrof say they are also supporting PN in the state election and hope the coalition will win all 32 seats.

“Who wants to support kaki spin [a manipulator]? Anwar promised no corruption but is close with Zahid [in the unity government]. He [Anwar] promised that petrol prices would fall, but that never happened,” Suhairi says.

Despite recognising the lack of development and job opportunities in Terengganu, Ashrof says he has no confidence that BN or the unity government can address these issues.

Unisza’s Wan Rohila does not see BN being able to regain the 20% of Umno voters it lost to PAS, reasoning that PAS’ allegations that Umno voters are not Islamic, or less so, have divided voters in the state.

“Zahid’s graft cases are also going to affect voters’ decisions. Anwar’s reformation efforts have been largely ignored and his unity government’s Rahmah efforts seem forgotten while Zahid’s cases gain more attention from voters,” she says.

Ironically, just a day before nomination day, Ahmad Zahid did something that some quarters had criticised was akin to bribing voters.

During a unity government event in Dungun on July 28, Ahmad Zahid, in his capacity as Rural and Regional Development Minister, announced various grants for Terengganu’s youth while saying the amounts might increase — depending on the youth’s “performance” in the state election.

The Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission later said Ahmad Zahid’s announcement was above board, as the allocations promised were federal-level initiatives.
 

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