In Rengit, ‘tiny’ Pejuang all out to prove that size isn’t everything

A light drizzle falls on the town of Rengit in Batu Pahat, Johor, where blue flags bearing the logo of Pejuang are festooned over the mid-sized building which serves as the party’s operations room for the upcoming state polls.

At a small stall across the road, Nizam Bashir Abdul Kariem Bashir, Pejuang’s candidate for the state seat of Rengit, takes a break from his packed schedule to grab a quick bite.

Nizam has been on the move ever since nomination day last Saturday. Much of his time is spent on the road, covering what ground he can of Johor’s vast expanse.

Come election day on March 12, he will face off against Mohd Fuad Zarkashi of Barisan Nasional (BN), Khairuddin A Rahim of Pakatan Harapan (PH) and Mohd Huzair Lajis of Perikatan Nasional (PN).

Competition is expected to be stiff, especially given that Pejuang will be running in an election for the first time.

But Nizam, who like Pejuang is a first-time contestant, doesn’t buy the general opinion that the party, led by Dr Mahathir Mohamad, is a greenhorn or underdog.

A lawyer by training, he spoke of the veteran leader as an “icon” for Pejuang.

“There are also other icons in the party,” he said in an interview with MalaysiaNow. “When I meet with the people, everyone knows Mahathir, and they give me an encouraging response.”

The name of Mahathir, known throughout the country, is no less familiar in Johor where he is best remembered for his tangles with the state palace.

Nizam himself acknowledged the former prime minister’s fraught ties with the Johor royalty but said the meeting point for any party must be the Federal Constitution.

Pejuang launched its manifesto for the state election on March 12. But while the party is untested on the field, Nizam believes that size is not the deciding factor.

He said PH lynchpin PKR in its early days was also seen as a small party but nevertheless succeeded in winning a number of seats.

“The issue is not whether a party is small or not, but whether the individuals representing it are capable or not,” he said.

‘Saturated’ Malay vote market

Pejuang, founded by Mahathir and his son Mukhriz Mahathir, is fielding 42 candidates in the Johor election. The bulk of these candidates will be running in Malay-majority constituencies.

Pejuang will be fighting for their votes alongside other parties such as Umno, PAS and Bersatu.

Unlike the others, though, it will be going solo in the election instead of working together in a coalition.

For Nizam, the saturated market for votes is no obstacle as the Malay community there is still expanding.

“There has been an increase in the number of communities and Malays from the 60% figure before,” he said.

“This shows that there is still room for one more party.”

He nonetheless added that Pejuang is not out to represent only the Malay community.

MalaysiaNow previously reported analysts as saying that voters in Johor would study the factor of political coalitions.

Should this occur, the three major pacts of BN, PN and PH will be the focus, leaving little chance for solo parties.

Others believe the Johor polls will be a repeat of the recent election in Melaka.

But Nizam said this was a flawed perception.

In Melaka, he said, BN succeeded in forming the government despite winning just 38% of the vote in the November polls.

“In Melaka, Pejuang did not contest and Undi 18 was not a factor,” he added, referring to the lowering of the minimum age of voting from 21 to 18.

On his own aspirations in Rengit, he said he wanted to see more economic activities, particularly in local tourism.

“This is a matter being studied by everyone looking to administer in Rengit,” he said, adding that Rengit’s location beside the sea made it especially suitable for tourism activities.

“Umno has ruled Rengit since 2004. Maybe because no one else checked – there are next to zero efforts to attract tourists to the area,” he said, comparing the little-known beach at Perpat to the Minyak Beku beach in Senggarang which is much more lively.

On his competition for the seat, Nizam said each candidate had his own strengths and challenges.

Having practised law for more than two decades now and given many commentaries on constitutional issues, he is confident that he is the best candidate for the 27,000 voters in the constituency.

Rumours of dissatisfaction among the BN grassroots with the candidacy of BN’s Fuad, the former director-general of the Department of Special Affairs (Services), may also help Nizam’s campaign.

At the 14th general election in 2018, Rengit was won by BN’s Ayub Jamil who defeated his competitors from PKR and PAS with a margin of more than 9,000 votes.

Ayub, a former Johor housing and local government exco, has not been listed to contest in the state election this time.