Flags, mainly that of Perikatan Nasional (PN) and Pakatan Harapan (PH), line up the main entrance into Manjoi, a village in Ipoh, in the northern Malaysian state of Perak.
The different colours accompany the posters of candidates contesting for the Manjoi state seat and the Tambun parliamentary seat.
All eyes are, in fact, on the parliamentary seat. It features incumbent PN’s Datuk Seri Ahmad Faizal Azumu, and PH’s leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.
The other two candidates contesting there are Datuk Aminuddin Md Hanafiah (Barisan Nasional) and Abdul Rahim Tahir (Pejuang).
Being a former Perak menteri besar, Ahmad Faizal – better known as Peja – is no stranger to the locals.
Anwar’s team, meanwhile, is telling locals of the prospect that Tambun could have a prime minister representing them – if he wins the seat and PH reclaims Putrajaya, in Malaysia’s 15th general election on Nov 19.
Several members of the tight-knit community admit it’s a direct duel between PN and PH.
Some of them still remember the assistance given by representatives from the two coalitions at the height of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Others compared the speed with which their requests were attended to by the coalitions, including in getting signatures of the leaders for official documents.
Atieqah Zarullin, 31, who sells mixed rice from a stall in the village, described the past week as “terlebih meriah” (overly exciting).
“From the flags to the personalities, it has been an interesting and exciting week,” said the mother of four.
She said Ahmad Faizal and the incumbent state assemblyman, Datuk Asmuni Awi from PH, have done a good job since Covid-19 hit the country.
“We reached out for food aid from Ahmad Faizal, and the aid came on the same day. We also received diapers and milk,” said Atieqah.
“It’s the same with Asmuni. If we need his signature for official documents, we can get it within the same day.”
Atieqah highlighted the need to improve security in the area.
“There have been break-ins in the village. We are unsure if the perpetrators are from our village or outsiders, but they happen often.
“There’s also no fire department in the area. The nearest is in Bercham, some 25 minutes away,” she added.
A grasscutter, Mohd Sabri Wahab, 54, admitted he was unsure who to vote for on Nov 19.
“I will attend several more ceramah (public talks) to hear what they (candidates) have to say,” said Sabri, who lives at Jalan Datin.
“To me, it doesn’t matter which candidate wins. I want them to know that those living in small towns struggle to put food on the table.”
He said that while the government had passed the minimum wage bill (to RM1,500 per month), the prices of goods continued to rise.
“Those of us who earn a daily wage can no longer cope. The price of chicken used to be less than RM8 per kg, but now it’s nearly RM10. The prices of oil, sugar and other basic necessities have also gone up.
“As a grasscutter, I earn RM50 per house. But there is no guarantee of work.
“We Malays have a saying: kais pagi makan pagi, kais petang makan petang (living hand to mouth). That best describes me.”
He said those who win should make it a point to speak to the villagers.
Another Manjoi resident, Rosminah Zaharuddin, said she hopes those voted in will look into the plight of small and petty traders.
“My late husband and I have been running our small business at the Manjoi market, but business has dropped ever since a hypermarket opened nearby,” said Rosminah, 50.
“There used to be many stalls (in the market), but they could not cope with the competition (from the hypermarket). No one is visiting the market. Today, there are only 20 stalls left. The rest have been forced to venture elsewhere, including roadsides to make a living.”
Rosminah said she does not mind who gets voted in, as long as the person “serves the people well.”
Nazmi Zalkifli is looking forward to voting for the first time.
“There’s been a lot of activities going on in the village. I’m pretty excited to vote,” said the 25-year-old who helps run a mobile phone accessories shop in Manjoi.
“I hope whoever is elected will look into ensuring there is more recreation space, especially for the youth.
“We don’t have a proper park. Even the facilities at the Manjoi Mini Stadium need to be upgraded,” he added.
