ALOR SETAR, Kedah: After a week of campaigning, Chan Ming Kai’s voice was hoarse and his eyes appeared sunken. Speaking in front of a motley…
ALOR SETAR, Kedah: After a week of campaigning, Chan Ming Kai’s voice was hoarse and his eyes appeared sunken.
Speaking in front of a motley crowd during a political rally in downtown Alor Setar on Wednesday night (May 3), the 38-year-old lawyer from Ipoh, Perak afforded a beaming smile.
“I know many of you Malay folks find my name hard to remember, so just call me tembikai,” said the Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) candidate, referring to the Malay colloquial term for watermelon.
The joke drew a collective chuckle from the 500-strong audience, most of whom were Malays who will be voting in the Alor Setar federal seat, the capital city of Kedah state.
Chan is running for the seat against two opponents, ruling coalition Barisan Nasional’s Yoo Wei How and Parti Islam Se-Malaysia’s (PAS) Muhammad Aminur Shafiq Mohamad Abduh, in one of many tightly contested battles in the northern state.
It is his first time contesting in Kedah. In 2013, he was elected to the Perlis state seat of Indera Kayangan.
On nomination day in 2018, Chan kicked off his campaigning by walking around private housing estates, escorted by a small group of PKR volunteers.
As he handed out leaflets, many of them barely looked up as he walked past.
“We’ve never seen you before,” said a group of men, clad in baju kurungs, sarongs and skullcaps, who were sipping tea. A man who was selling burgers even refused to shake his hand.
But even then, Chan was unfazed. He took time to explain to them who he was and what he could offer.
“I’m new here, so I have to keep my head down. But these people have issues and I want to hear them out and solve them together,” he told Channel NewsAsia then.
After a week of pounding the streets, visiting wet markets and attending rallies, Chan has become a prominent figure in the city.
«We need a change in leadership, and it all starts here at home,» said one PKR supporter who showed Channel NewsAsia that he printed Chan’s face on his sports car to show his support.
The supporter, who wished to remain anonymous, said he hoped that the gesture will urge fellow Alor Setar residents to vote for the PKR candidate in the upcoming polls on May 9.
