From The Malaysian Insider
By Debra Chong
TAIPING, April 6 — It was four hours to midnight on the eve of polling day when campaigners were making last ditched attempts to curry votes with the electorate.
Datuk Seri Mohammad Nizar Jamaluddin, the Pas candidate, was scheduled for a last walkabout at the night market in Simpang. He failed to appear.
As it turned out, he had jettisoned the plan for a final “mesra rakyat” to rush to the aid of villagers in Kampung Simpang Holt in Changkat Jering near here.
A three-hour afternoon storm had wrecked 90 out of the 96 houses in the Bukit Gantang parliamentary seat, leaving hundreds of flood victims homeless.
The Malaysian Insider found Nizar half an hour later with his pants legs rolled up to mid-calf on the muddy tarred road leading to the sunken village.
“It’s bad. Very bad. The village is underwater here and further up. Apparently this happens every year,” Nizar replied when asked his take on the situation.
He said he did not know the full extent of the disaster but he would try and set up an emergency camp nearby for the residents in case the rain falls again and raise the water level in the night.
Apparently, he had just finished a talk with fellow Pas member and Titiwangsa MP, Dr Lo’ Lo’ Ghazali, who was also on hand to speak with the affected victims.
An Umno van with its red keris logo was in park at the entrance to the village road. Firemen and rescue workers moved through the throng to help evacuate some other villagers stuck at home.
[The storm destroyed 90 out of 96 houses in Kampung Simpang Holt.]
The storm destroyed 90 out of 96 houses in Kampung Simpang Holt.
Asked if the two parties locked in battle over the by-election tomorrow had temporarily set aside their political differences, Nizar said no, the effort was wholly Pas’s. He left soon after, to perform evening prayers at the surau.
The locals reported that incidents of flash floods breaking out in their village were on the rise in the last three to four years. This evening’s flood was made worse after an abandoned tin-mine on the land belonging Perbadanan Negeri Perak (PNP) had collapsed, clogging the monsoon drain which made it harder to drain the excess water from the ground.
Farmer Razali Osman and his family were fed up with the authorities’ attitude towards their problems and vowed to vote in Nizar, whom they felt showed his caring, despite not being a local.
Nizar is God sent. This is the type of politician we we hardly see these days, especially from UMNO. Materialism, egoism and arrogance is what we will only see in UMNO-BN who failed the rakyat
badly.
I have been away from the country for almost 30 years and when I revisited the political
arena in Malaysia, nothing has changed. One would have thought after half a century of Merdeka, contesting parties would be talking about reforms and policies for the country, gutter politics is unashamedly practice, what a great disappointment.
UMNO will never change, PR has changed…most importantly PAS has changed and became more accommodating….for that reason, as a non malay and a non muslim, I will vote PAS if it represents my constituency…without hesitation!
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I’ve taken off my hat to this gentelman long ago. Again he show his soft side to the rakyat again. I’m confident even if this is not election time he would have done the same. Sdr Nizar, I hope that God’s grace will set upon you.
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BERCAKAP BENAR TENTANG SESUATU MEMANG RAMAI YANG SALAH ANGGAP. BANYAK PULA SEBABNYA BERLAKU SALAH ANGGAP. MUNGKIN KERANA JAHIL, MUNGKIN KERANA EGO DAN MUNGKIN JUGA KERANA PRASANGKA SEMATA-MATA.
SAYA SETUJU MEDIA PAKATAN MENGHEBAHKAN KEBENARAN TENTANG PERJALANAN JADUAL AKTIVITI PEMIMPIN TERUTAMA YANG MUNGKIN SEKALI MENJADI KEMUSYKILAN DAN TANDA TANYA RAKYAT. MACAM KES UST. NIZAR TERPAKSA BATAL PROGRAM KERANA URUS BANTUAN. BAGUS DAN TAHNIAH !
BERCAKAP HAL BENAR YANG BERSANGKUT-PAUT HAL DIRI SENDIRI ATAU PARTI KITA BIASA SANGAT DISALAH ANGGAP, SEOLAH-OLAH NAK ANGKAT DIRI. TAPI, TERNYATA TIDAK ! YANG BENAR TETAP BENAR. HAL RESIKO DICEMUK DAN DISALAH ANGGAP SUDAH LUMRAH ! ASAL JANGAN PULA KITA YANG HARAPKAN PUJIAN. DEMIKIAN CONTOH YANG DIBAWA OLEH ROSULULLAH SAW. DALAM AMANAH YANG DIPEGANGNYA…
MESKIPUN “SEOLAH-OLAH MEMUJI DIRI”…ROSULULLAH SAW, TETAP BERKATA BAWAHA…
“ANA, ROSULULLAH SAW. !” MAKA, MESKIPUN DIEJEK OLEH ABU LAHAB DAN KUNCU-KUNCUNYA…ROSULULLAH SAW. TETAP MEMPERTAHANKANNYA. KERANA YANG DIUTAKANKAN ADALAH “KEBENARAN” ! AKHIRNYA, ROSULULLAH SAW. BERJAYA !
KEBENARAN ITU IBARAT SIANG ! JIKA TETAP KITA MEMPERTAHANKANNYA…MAKA, PABILA DATANGNYA SIANG BERANSURLAH MALAM IAITU KEPALSUAN !
MAKA PERTAHANKAN “KEBENARAN” DALAM PERJUANGAN DAN KATA-KATA KITA…INSYA-ALLAH KEJAYAAN DI HADAPAN KITA !
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MAAFKAN SAYA KERANA “MENCURI PELUANG” DALAM KOMENTAR INI UNTUK “MEMBANTU” PETUGAS-PETUGAS PAKATAN RAKYAT DI SETIAP KAWASAN PILIHANRAYA.
TAHNIAH KEPADA SDR. NIZAR YANG “BETUNGKUS-LUMUS” BERUSAHA. TAK LUPA JUGA KEPADA ABANG ANWAR, KAK WAN PUN MUNGKIN IKUT SERTA TERUTAMA SEKALI SEMUA PETUGAS “MENEGAKKAN KEBENARAN” ! HANYA SATU NIAT KITA…MAHU BERSATU DAN BUKAN MENCARI SETERU !
JIKA MEREKA INGIN BERMUSUH…SUNGGUH MALANG ! DALAM PERMUSUHAN SEKALI-KALI “TIDAK ADA KEMENANGAN”, MUDHARAT JE…! NAK “MENANG” ADA SATU CARA MUDAH…CAKAP BENAR JE ! NESCAYA, TUHAN CAMPAK “KEKUATAN” MACAM SAIDINA ALI (R.H), SORANG DIRI TAPI, MUSUH BERTEMPIARAN ! PEGI SORANG, TAPI MUSUH NAMPAK RIBU-RIBU YANG DATANG ! MEMANG MERICLE ! CAKAP BENAR JE…! TIPU-TIPU TAK MAIN !
JADI SEDARA, KEAJAIBAN ITU ADA DALAM “KEBENARAN”!
SELAMAT BERTUGAS ! KITA MENANG KERANA CAKAP BENAR !
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