Johor Felda settlements, no longer fixed deposits for BN?

At Kampung Felda Ayer Hitam in Machap, Johor, the road leading to the village is small and narrow.

While the main road has been tarred, other paths leading in are still bare red earth.

On either side of the road lie lush green fields, peppered here and there with food stalls run by the villagers themselves.

The peaceful countryside atmosphere however is soon shattered by the sound of traffic as a long line of cars makes its way into the village.

Dr Mahathir Mohamad, the former prime minister and chairman of Pejuang, has come to visit.

Families stand at the doorway of their homes, carrying their children and watching as the convoy goes by.

Pejuang is contesting an election for the first time in Johor, and its candidates are banking on Mahathir’s name to draw in the crowds.

Felda settlements were previously known as fixed deposits for Barisan Nasional (BN), but this time around, things might be different.

At the 14th general election in 2018, the Machap state seat was won by Bersatu although the parliamentary seat of Ayer Hitam itself remained with BN, represented by Wee Ka Siong.

With the Johor election fast approaching, though, some of the Felda settlers in Ayer Hitam believe it will be a close race between Pejuang and Perikatan Nasional (PN).

Mohd Rashid Taha, the former village chief, said sentiments in the settlement are mainly divided among BN, PN and Pejuang.

Another villager meanwhile said that while BN has strong support in the rural areas, the settlers were uncomfortable with the arrogance shown by some of those selected by the coalition.

In Felda Tenggaroh 2, village chief Anuar Abd Ghani said many of the older settlers still stood with BN.

“BN’s message makes more of an impact among the women here, while the men are more inclined towards PN,” he told MalaysiaNow.

In Tenggaroh, where the settlers’ village is located, the upcoming election will witness a four-way fight among BN, PN, Pejuang and PKR.

Anuar said Pejuang’s chances might be slim as its candidate was relatively unknown.

Referring to PN chairman Muhyiddin Yassin, though, Anuar said his strategy of structuring the coalition’s agenda around the resolution of settlers’ debts had resonated with a number of voters in the area.

The government under Muhyiddin’s administration had last year agreed to write off with conditions part of their debts amounting to some RM8.3 billion.

Political analyst Ismail Sualman however said this was unlikely to influence the outcome of the election as the efforts were still ongoing.

“This has caused dissatisfaction among many with what was promised by the Felda management,” Ismail, of Universiti Teknologi Mara, added.

Ismail, who hails from Johor himself, said Felda voters would likely support BN at the state level.

He nonetheless warned that BN could not afford to rest on its laurels.

“In some places, the settlers support Bersatu,” he said. “There is no one-party domination this time around.

“There are still many opportunities for parties if they are capable of making a last-minute impact on the election.”

In Johor, Felda settlers make up a sizeable number of voters with settlements established in 20 state constituencies.

But Ismail said the chances of Pakatan Harapan and PKR in these areas were low as the opposition bloc in general struggles in Johor.

He said many voters still remembered the promises left unfulfilled after the last general election.

“In Felda settlements in the Layang-Layang seat, for instance, even though PKR is contesting, the votes are likely to go towards BN.”