Located 55km south of the capital city of Alor Setar, it has experienced heavy industrialisation since the 1990s.

Its incumbent MP, PKR’s Johari Abdul, has been representing the constituency of over 93,000 registered voters for two consecutive terms since the 12th general election in 2008.

In both elections, Johari managed to secure a nearly 10,000-vote majority against his Barisan Nasional (BN) opponents – Zainuddin Maidin in 2008, and Syamsul Anuar Che Mey in 2013.

This was a far cry from his first attempt to contest the seat in 1999, when he lost by over 12,000 votes to Mahadzir Mohd Khir.

He also contested the Bakar Arang state seat in the 2004 general election, but lost to BN.

In the 14th general election (GE14) just around the corner, Johari will be contesting the Sungai Petani seat for a fourth time, and the PKR chief whip is brimming with confidence.

“Yes, I will be contesting. I will be defending my seat. The party has decided that the incumbent will stay put,” he told FMT when contacted.

Johari’s confidence stems from his past victories in Sungai Petani, which he said were due to his diligence in going to the ground as an MP.

He said when Parliament was in session, he would return to Sungai Petani during the weekends. At all other times, he added, he would be there every day.

Johari said he was “almost sure” that PAS would be contesting the seat as the Islamist party had begun holding talks there, and party flags were hanging everywhere.

However, he believed the impact from PAS would be marginal at best.

“The most votes they can get is from their members. Even then, it is not clear whether the members will be voting for their own candidate.

“Other factors could come into play as well. Not all the members are supportive of the PAS leadership,” he added.

Johari said PAS differed from Umno, which was financially independent and held its own activities.

“I don’t think the leaders will have much impact on the decision to be made by the followers,” he said.

He also welcomed a multi-cornered fight in the area, saying it would be more of an advantage than a setback.

“Sungai Petani has a mixed racial composition. So whether it is a three, four or five-cornered fight, I am ready for it,” he said, adding that two independents had contested in the previous general election.

“Sungai Petani is quite a suburban area, meaning to say the constituents are exposed to what is going on. The internet penetration is very good, hence they are well-informed. I have quite a solid base.

“The only ‘slightly poor area’ is the state seat of Pantai Merdeka, which I would not call rural although it is very kampung-like. But they are quite well informed as well.”

Sungai Petani has a racial composition of 59% Malays, 29% Chinese and 12% Indians.

Johari, who expects to gain 40% of the non-Malay support, said he also hopes to get 15% support from the Malays.

When asked what issues the Sungai Petani folk faced, he said the main problem was the sluggish economy.

He said business had slowed down and there was almost no expansion in Sungai Petani.

He added however that this was not unique to the constituency as the entire nation was suffering from a decline in new businesses.

“There are no investments coming in locally. It is quite glaring because some of the factories are closing down. It is that kind of problem. There are no businesses coming in.”

A second problem, Johari said, was that the state was facing a cash flow problem as the federal government was not giving it sufficient funds.

He said this had led to poor maintenance of the drainage system, as well as potholes which remained unrepaired.

A third problem was the lack of housing schemes for the bottom 40 (B40) group.

“You do not see much development as far as housing is concerned. That industry is not moving well.

“Yes, there are many upmarket houses, but they are more catered towards people from Penang and the surrounding areas. Locally, there is not much for the B40.”

Johari said the only remedy was to improve the economy, not only for Sungai Petani but for the entire state of Kedah and the nation.

He said constituents were angry as they were not earning enough money, adding that their problems were compounded by the weakening ringgit.

“The purchasing power has become weaker, and there is the problem of the rising price of goods.

“People are complaining a lot because prices are going up. Perishable goods are expensive.”

Johari said he had raised the issues many times in Parliament.

“The constituents are not angry with me. They know that what I can do as an MP is limited.”