KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 7 — The fashionable view among the punditry declares that the battle for Putrajaya will be split between the countryside and the cities.The subtext which is unfashionable to mention but necessarily implied is that it’s the Malays who are the keeping the Barisan Nasional (BN) in power, because they make up the majority of “kampung folk”. The non-Malays, on the other hand, will supposedly support Pakatan Rakyat (PR).
But the reality is much more complex, according to BN and PR grassroots workers, leaders and ordinary Selangor folk who The Malaysian Insider spoke to.
For instance, “Khairulzaman” is a 48-year-old accountant at a government-linked-company in Kuala Lumpur. He has a smart phone and is reasonably informed of the latest political scandals. He is frankly scornful of Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) and its de facto leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.
Then there is Adam Mohamad a 38-year-old padi farmer who lives in a part of Selangor where cellphone coverage is spotty. Adam and farmers like him depend on fertiliser and herbicide subsidies from the federal government. The feds also helped stabilise padi prices, thus increasing incomes. When asked if all this aid would guarantee support in an election, Adam said: “Not necessarily.”
read more at TheMalaysianInsider.com
