The Taiping parliamentary constituency in Perak is perhaps one of the grey seat this election. A squabble between two BN component parties - Gerakan and PPP on who is to contest the Taiping seat under the BN banner since the last General Election has made the contest for this seat even more interesting. Taiping had always been a safe seat for the BN where the DAP had contested in nine previous general elections for this seat but lost.

Since the formation of BN in 1974, Taiping had been always represented by Gerakan. However, in the last General Election in 2004, the PPP was to be allocated 1 parliamentary seat and 1 state seat. Initially, PPP was allocated the Bukit Gantang seat which belonged to UMNO and a new state seat in Selangor, Kota Alam Shah. Due to protests from UMNO grassroots in Bukit Gantang, a 3-party swap is made enable PPP president M. Kayveas to contest in Taiping while Gerakan’s Tan Lian Hoe in Bukit Gantang with UMNO giving up Bukit Gantang to Gerakan instead. However, it was agreed that the arrangement is only for one term.

And for the 2008 elections, it was initially rumored that PPP will be given another seat with UMNO getting back Bukit Gantang while Gerakan takes Taiping. However, the refusal of Kayveas to move to another seat resulted in Gerakan’s Tan Lian Hoe given the Gerik seat which belongs to UMNO instead. The decision resulted in disappointment to Gerakan grassroot leaders in Taiping.

It is interesting to analyze the 2004 election results where a 3-corner fight between BN, DAP and PKR resulted in the victory of BN candidate M. Kayveas. BN polled 20,129 votes against DAP (17,957) and PKR (4,371) to win with a majority of 2,172 votes. Looking closely at it, the DAP candidate might have won the seat if not for the opposition votes being split between DAP and PKR.

For the 2008 elections, BN’s M. Kayveas and DAP’s Nga Kor Ming are locked in a straight fight. Will BN retains the seat or will DAP wrestle the seat from BN? The verdict will be known on Saturday 8 March.

Andrew Ong of Malaysiakini wrote an analysis of the battle of Taiping:

Andrew Ong
Malaysiakini

The intermittent rainy days since nomination day has failed to cool off the political temperature in Taiping where high stakes are being played in this general election.

Observers have noted that as PPP’s sole parliamentarian, M Kayveas is facing a ‘must-win’ situation to ensure that the party is represented in Parliament.

A lost would also spell doom for the PPP as they may not be given another seat to contest in the future, coupled with the party losing a deputy ministership in the government.

Kayveas, when met yesterday, appeared confident of his chances of retaining Taiping and the maverick politician brashly brushed off suggestions that he was facing a do-or-die situation.

“It’s a situation where we would be happy if we won. We are used to losing. PPP has lost seats before. Once we lost by one seat to take over the state of Perak.

“At the end of the day, it’s all about performance. There is no point to winning and doing nothing. This is a special town and people must give me a chance to do something,” said Kayveas.

In 2004, Kayveas edged DAP’s Ong Chee Keng by 2,172 votes. The constituency has 65,455 voters comprising of 50.3 percent Chinese, followed by Malays (32.3 percent) and Indians (13.3 percent).

Enmity with Gerakan

This time around, Kayveas believes that he has the advantage of incumbency over his DAP opponent Nga Kor Ming who is also Pantai Remis state seat incumbent.

“I think the people will support me. They know me now, unlike before. They know I fought to remain here at a time where I could have walked and go anywhere I wanted but I didn’t,” he added.

And fought he did. Since his win in 2004, Kayveas was embroiled in a protracted war of words with Gerakan top brass over the Taiping seat and enmity between the two parties became worse as this election loomed.

PPP was allowed to contest in Taiping in 2004 in a complicated ‘one-off’ seat swap involving Umno and Gerakan in 2004.

But since PPP insisted on staying put in Taiping, the party’s relationship with local Umno and Gerakan grassroots turned soured.

Gerakan’s large grassroots following in Taiping have never forgiven Kayveas for ‘hijacking’ the seat which the party had firmly held between 1969 and 1999 and this may be a factor in the outcome of the polls on March 8.

Even a recent Perak BN promise that the Taiping seat would be returned to Gerakan in the next general election seemed to have placated the ground anger.

Chinese kingmakers

In addition to this, Taiping voters have also been recently reminded by the DAP that Kayveas had not fulfilled monetary pledges to several Chinese guilds and pledges to build two new Chinese schools.

In a swift counter attack, Kayveas claimed to have resolved the matter with the guilds and the schools board members over the past two days.

Details however would only be released closer to polling day to avoid the opposition from using the announcement as campaign issues.

At a speech during the function yesterday, Kayveas said he had fulfilled his pledges of RM4 million and RM1 million for Chinese guilds and Chinese schools respectively.

“I was elected (in 2004) by a constituency with 50 percent Chinese voters. I won because of the Chinese supports. That’s why over the past three years, I paid special attention to the guilds and associations,” he said.

Tenth time lucky?

On the DAP front, the battle for Taiping is going to be the biggest test ever for Nga, 35, who is one of the party’s most watched young leaders.

Should he lose the contest to Kayveas, the DAP would have sacrificed the talented two-term Pantai Remis assemblyperson in a ‘dangerous seat’ when he could have been fielded in a safer seat.

“I’m definitely the underdog in this race. We’ve contested and lost here nine times,” said Nga, who is also a practicing lawyer who won the Pantai Remis seat in 1999 at the age of 27.

Nga’s presence in Taiping has caused a stir among the populace who have flocked to listen to his lively ceramah’s despite him being an outsider.

He said the party intentionally fielded him in Taiping as part of their campaign to deny the BN a two-third majority. He is also contesting for a third-term as Pantai Remis state representative.

Other than the party’s national campaign, Nga hopes that voters would also vote against BN in view of Kayveas’ apparent failure to fulfill his 2004 pledges.

“For instance, he promised that he would reopen the Taiping airport, allocate land for SRJK (C) Hua Lian 2 and SMJK Hua Lian. Nothing materialized,

“Additionally, I have received request by not less than 12 Chinese guilds to raise the issue of unfulfilled monetary pledges made by Kayveas. The mock cheques have been given, but not the money,” he added.

BN’s development card

Since nomination day, Nga has been attacking Kayveas’ credibility by claiming that the latter was not trustworthy as he cannot fulfill his pledges.

Kayveas however have claimed that Nga cannot serve Taiping voters properly as he has to fulfill his duties as a MP and state assemblyperson if he was elected in both seats.

The veteran politician had also repeatedly warned voters during his speeches and press statements that Taiping would be devoid of state-financed development projects if they elected an opposition representative.

“Assuming that I win by a big margin and I get back my deputy minister’s post, it means I can source more funds for the community,” Kayveas said in his luncheon speech yesterday.

Nga said that he would be countering Kayveas’ ‘development carrot’ by giving voters facts on Sitiawan’s economic progress despite the area being a opposition fortress.

“Sitiawan is the fastest developing town in Perak. Why? Because Barisan desperately wants to win back the seat,” he explained.

“I have no idea why Kayveas claims opposition held areas have no development. If there is development here, young people like you don’t have to work in Kuala Lumpur and this place won’t be called a retiree’s paradise,” he quipped.

Based on ground sentiments, Kayveas appeared to be the likely winner for contest but with seven days left of campaigning, Nga is said to have a chance of catching up and score an upset.