Manek Urai: Spiritual doom vs economic boom
Kuek Ser Kuang KengPublished: Jul 6, 2009 2:58 AM | Updated: Jul 6, 2009 8:51 AM
An old-fashioned Umno-PAS battle is brewing for the Manek Urai by-election with both parties keeping to their familiar and time-tested campaign messages and formulae.
An old-fashioned Umno-PAS battle is brewing for the Manek Urai by-election with both parties keeping to their familiar and time-tested campaign messages and formulae.
During the Kuala Terengganu and Bukit Gantang by-election campaigns, PAS - in an attempt to reinvent its image after the unprecedented non-Muslim support it received - presented itself as a modern party with progressive multi-cultural ideals.
But here in the rural agricultural hamlet of Manek Urai, its religious message is crucial and the figure of spiritual leader Nik Abdul Aziz Nik Mat looms large.
Better known here as the Tok Guru, he is the most recognisable face in Kelantan, having served for 19 years as Kelantan menteri besar.
The PAS theme for this by-election has also taken on a spiritual dimension - Tok Guru Mempin, Manek Urai Berkat (The teacher leads, Manek Urai will be blessed) - is inscribed on posters of Nik Aziz showing him deep in prayer, complete with jawi inscriptions from the Quran.
But Umno is banking on its perennial election promise of economic development for Manek Urai as well as the many surrounding villages that make up the constituency.
Its tagline - Rakyat Didahulukan, Manek Urai Diutamakan (People first, Manek Urai prioritised) - seems to be a spin-off from Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak's '1Malaysia' concept.
Two-street constituency
Manek Urai is located some 20km south of the logging town of Kuala Krai, and is one of the four state seats within the Kuala Krai parliamentary constituency.
All these seats fell in a clean sweep to the PAS-PKR alliance in the 2008 March general election.
History and the ballot seem pitted against Umno in this contest, as the party has taken Manek Urai only twice since Independence - 1982 and in 2004.
This time round, PAS hopes to retain the seat by fielding Kuala Krai-born Mohd Fauzi Abdullah, 50, a wealthy fish wholeseller, who faces Umno's Tuan Aziz Tuan Mat, 39, a project monitoring manager with the South Kelatan Development Board (Kesedar).
The state has 12,293 voters, of whom 99.2 percent are Malay. The majority of the constituents are farmers or are involved in the timber industry.
The two-street constituency is devoid of anything that is remotely grand, but the spanking new RM150,000 Barisan Nasional makeshift campaign headquarters on a vacant 1-hectare site, stands out in stark contrast to the surroundings.
Resembling a village within a village, the facility - with huge white air-conditioned marquee - comes complete with a women's wing operations centre, a state liaison office, division level office and a media centre for RTM and TV3.
The facility ieven has wireless Internet access and can accommodate 80 staff.
Umno headquarters executive secretary Abdul Rauf Yusoh told Malaysiakini that this is the first time the party had used such a facility and hopes that it will serve as a model for future by-elections.
In contrast, the PAS headquarters operates from just three simple double-storey shoplots.
PAS to 'ignore' EC guidelines
There has been no shortage of excitement over the past week as cabinet ministers or their deputies made a bee-line to Manek Urai, hosting a range of ministerial-related activities for locals.
PAS is relying almost entirely on its local crop of leaders, led by Nik Aziz, in its pre-nomination campaign that included door-to-door visits.
The party is also wooing voters in the Klang Valley, where approximately 860 Manek Urai residents reside, urging them to return to vote.
On Saturday night, both Nik Aziz and state executive council member Husam Musa hosted a function to introduce candidate Mohd Fauzi to voters.
Tonight, the party is scheduled to host a ceramah in Batu Caves, Selangor, specifically targeting the Manek Urai voters from the Klang Valley area.
This morning, deputy premier Muhyiddin Yassin led Umno supporters to the nomination centre in Kuala Krai.
PAS brought about 10,000 supporters, ignoring Election Commission guidelines that forbid a nomination day showdown.
During the Kuala Terengganu and Bukit Gantang by-election campaigns, PAS - in an attempt to reinvent its image after the unprecedented non-Muslim support it received - presented itself as a modern party with progressive multi-cultural ideals.
But here in the rural agricultural hamlet of Manek Urai, its religious message is crucial and the figure of spiritual leader Nik Abdul Aziz Nik Mat looms large.
Better known here as the Tok Guru, he is the most recognisable face in Kelantan, having served for 19 years as Kelantan menteri besar.The PAS theme for this by-election has also taken on a spiritual dimension - Tok Guru Mempin, Manek Urai Berkat (The teacher leads, Manek Urai will be blessed) - is inscribed on posters of Nik Aziz showing him deep in prayer, complete with jawi inscriptions from the Quran.
But Umno is banking on its perennial election promise of economic development for Manek Urai as well as the many surrounding villages that make up the constituency.
Its tagline - Rakyat Didahulukan, Manek Urai Diutamakan (People first, Manek Urai prioritised) - seems to be a spin-off from Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak's '1Malaysia' concept.
Two-street constituency
Manek Urai is located some 20km south of the logging town of Kuala Krai, and is one of the four state seats within the Kuala Krai parliamentary constituency.
All these seats fell in a clean sweep to the PAS-PKR alliance in the 2008 March general election.
History and the ballot seem pitted against Umno in this contest, as the party has taken Manek Urai only twice since Independence - 1982 and in 2004.
This time round, PAS hopes to retain the seat by fielding Kuala Krai-born Mohd Fauzi Abdullah, 50, a wealthy fish wholeseller, who faces Umno's Tuan Aziz Tuan Mat, 39, a project monitoring manager with the South Kelatan Development Board (Kesedar).The state has 12,293 voters, of whom 99.2 percent are Malay. The majority of the constituents are farmers or are involved in the timber industry.
The two-street constituency is devoid of anything that is remotely grand, but the spanking new RM150,000 Barisan Nasional makeshift campaign headquarters on a vacant 1-hectare site, stands out in stark contrast to the surroundings.
Resembling a village within a village, the facility - with huge white air-conditioned marquee - comes complete with a women's wing operations centre, a state liaison office, division level office and a media centre for RTM and TV3.
The facility ieven has wireless Internet access and can accommodate 80 staff.
Umno headquarters executive secretary Abdul Rauf Yusoh told Malaysiakini that this is the first time the party had used such a facility and hopes that it will serve as a model for future by-elections.
In contrast, the PAS headquarters operates from just three simple double-storey shoplots.
PAS to 'ignore' EC guidelines
There has been no shortage of excitement over the past week as cabinet ministers or their deputies made a bee-line to Manek Urai, hosting a range of ministerial-related activities for locals.
PAS is relying almost entirely on its local crop of leaders, led by Nik Aziz, in its pre-nomination campaign that included door-to-door visits.
The party is also wooing voters in the Klang Valley, where approximately 860 Manek Urai residents reside, urging them to return to vote.
On Saturday night, both Nik Aziz and state executive council member Husam Musa hosted a function to introduce candidate Mohd Fauzi to voters.
Tonight, the party is scheduled to host a ceramah in Batu Caves, Selangor, specifically targeting the Manek Urai voters from the Klang Valley area.
This morning, deputy premier Muhyiddin Yassin led Umno supporters to the nomination centre in Kuala Krai.
PAS brought about 10,000 supporters, ignoring Election Commission guidelines that forbid a nomination day showdown.
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