Hulu Selangor level playing carnival

While passing through the dark and dusty roads in the Bukit Beruntung area, rows after rows of abandoned houses and commercial shoplots hardly can be missed. It was the eve of nomination day for the Hulu Selangor parliamentary seat by-election. My friends and I were travelling to Kuala Kubu Baru to have first hand experience of the Hulu Selangor by-election.

Bukit Beruntung is part of the Hulu Selangor constituency and I don't think those people staying there really "beruntung" (benefited). Most of the shophouses are vacant and any building materials like the window and door frames, metal trusses and grilles has been stolen to be sold as scraps. Lalangs had taken over in most of the vacant houses. Some who bought houses and shoplots there are still servicing bank loans on their abandoned and dilapidated properties.

On the corner of the main T-junction to Rasa,  no one will miss the command centre of Barisan Nasional on an elevated open space. There were many white tents and marquees surrounded by BN flags. This is the venue where the name of BN candidate P. Kamalanathan was announced. Interestingly, the selection of this location as BN's choice for their main operation centre in a township saddled with problems traced to the time when BN ruled Selangor was a paradox.

If BN still rules Selangor, it would have used a better location with better facilities owned by the state government. But since BN now is the state opposition, it have to make do with whatever their money can buy. Based on the huge marquees that BN is paying for at least two weeks, their war chest must be bottomless.

On the other hand, the Pakatan Rakyat are gleefully using the state and local council facilities which were denied to them pre-March 2008. Now BN is having a taste of their own medicine. The battle of space and facilities is on level playing field now. While state and local council facilities like community halls are easily available to the PR State government, BN is making use of facilities and location managed by federal agencies like the schools, agriculture centres, the newly built fire and rescue complex etc. The event to announce Zaid Ibrahim as PR's candidate was held in the Dewan Komuniti Serendah which can accommodates more than 2,000 persons.

The locals seems to know how deep each of the contesting parties will be able to dig their pockets to rent a place for their operation centres and accommodation for their campaign workers. It is very obvious that the locals are aware that BN can afford to pay double for any places for rent. For instance, while PR will be asked to pay RM1,000 for the rental of an empty floor, BN will be charged double the amount for the same place. If BN thinks this is unfair, they need to soul search why the Hulu Selangor people assumed BN has deep pockets!

Arriving at the Kuala Kubu Baru Kumbang new village, we were ushered to our "reserved" seats which were already occupied by other guests but the organiser was able to settle that quickly. But due to our late arrival, the dinner already half way through so we missed some of the dishes and speeches. At RM 30 per head for a Chinese sit down dinner, it was considered cheap for people staying in Klang Valley but cheaper price comes with smaller serving size.

Some of the speakers that night were top guns in Pakatan Rakyat including Anwar Ibrahim, PAS deputy president Nasharuddin and Lim Guan Eng. The Pakatan candidate Zaid Ibrahim spoke earlier and already left by the time we arrived. The others that spoke includes Tony Pua, Hatta Ramli, Charles Santiago, Lau Weng San and etc.

The presence of Anwar Ibrahim and Lim Guan Eng was received excitedly by the locals. There is no doubt who they supports in this by-election.

A quick glance shows that most of the audiences are elderly Chinese village folks. Maybe most of the younger ones are working in the city. Their votes will be critical to PR and they are expected to be contacted and encourage to return to execute their right on election day.

Most of the speakers focused on national and Selangor issues while Guan Eng provide some notes on Penang's latest development.

Having overnight at Ulu Yam Bahru, we start early the next day at about 6.40am for Kuala Kubu Bahru. Arriving at about 7.15am the traffic is already getting congested. The Election Commission already fixed specific directions for respective party supporters to follow to designated assembly locations. We were lucky to secure a space to park our car beside a building belonging to the local school alumni.

We took a short walk to DAP's Main Operation Centre at Jalan Kamaruddin. The crowd already swelling and it looks like everyone were having a carnival-like atmosphere. There were stalls selling foodstuff, political paraphernalias, T-Shirts and medicines. PAS supporters really knows how to go for the kill as most of the stalls are obviously own by them based on the goods sold in most of the stalls.

Not having our breakfasts yet we went to the coffeshop next to DAP's centre in search of food. It was filled with DAP members including Teng Chang Khim and Tony Pua having a cuppa and wan tan mee there.

Disregard of who wins this by-election, I think the coffeeshop owner and the noodles stalls proprietor just like other food vendors will be laughing all the way to the bank.

At about 8.20am we moved along with the DAP's group towards the nomination centre at Dewan Serbaguna Kuala Kubu Baru. A short distance away, DAP's group merged with the huge PKR's delegation. The crowd went into high decibels when PR's candidate Zaid Ibrahim and all the top guns make their way through the PR's supporters. There were a lot of chanting of "Reformasi", Lawan Tetap Lawan", "Hidup Malaysia" and "Hancur Umno". 

At 8.40am the PR supporters reach the police barricade and couldn't proceed further. The shouting and chanting continues while a police helicopter was seen hovering above and recording the crowd below. The morning sun was getting hot and just many others we decided to look for a place to have a cold drink. We found a corner mamak shop nearby and managed to secured some seats occupied by some PKR supporters. We were later joined by DAP Adun for Teluk Datuk, Philip Tan.

By 11.00am the crowd were thinning and we decided to walk back to the DAP operation centre. After obtaining the latest information on the candidates contesting, we decided to have our lunch. We went to a hawker centre for porridge. We  noticed that most of the customers there are PR supporters. Maybe BN supporters are having free meals at "higher" end restaurants! We have to pay from our own pockets for food, transportation and accommodation.

After lunch it was time to drive home but it was not to be as when we reached our parked car, the whole town of Kuala Kubu Bahru already turned into a huge parking area. It was a terrible traffic congestion which lasted for more than two hours.

We decided to take a rest at the school alumni building which top floor was rented to PR for accommodation. Some of the DAP volunteers were staying there. (The picture on the left was taken from the alumni building.)

After waiting for more than two hours, we walked to town centre to buy some local delicacies from the Teng Wun Bakery which has been in business since 1979. Their specialties are kaya puffs, cup cakes and butter cakes. After the free tasting, all of us were convinced to buy some home. The traffic by then already eased up and the journey home was a smooth one.

It has been an enjoyable event and eye opener for many of us who participated in this by-election nomination day. - Loka