By Zafira Anwar
It is indeed a rare opportunity for current and former prime ministers, Najib Razak and Dr Mahathir Mohamad respectively, to turn up in their area, which is part of the Lembah Pantai parliamentary constituency.
Roti canai seller Mohd Ramli Jamhari, 49, of Din Canai Cafe, said he was excited upon learning that Lembah Pantai has become a hotspot, attracting a lot of senior politicians, aside from the candidates vying for the seat.
“This place must be really special that the current and former prime ministers, now on opposite sides, would both want to set foot here,” said Ramli who has met Fahmi Fadzil, the Pakatan Harapan candidate for Lembah Pantai.
Burger seller Shaifulnizam Johari, 30 said having politicians in the area was a normal occurrence each time an election is near.
“What we want is for them to still come and see us even after the election, regardless if they win or lose. That is, if they are really sincere in wanting to help us” said the Kedah-born who would be celebrating his birthday on polling day.
Shaifulnizam’s helper, Shahrul Nizam Mohd Adnan, 33, said no matter who wins the Lembah Pantai seat, what is more important was that the wellbeing of small traders are taken care of.
“Most of us here are traders, having politicians coming in and out of the area should have a positive impact on our businesses.
“I hope they (politicians) will help us improve ourselves, economically.”
Hamsah Jantan, 70, a resident of Lembah Pantai since 1968, said he had seen no apparent changes in the area regardless of which party won the parliamentary seat, long held by BN-Umno but won by PKR for the past two terms.
“It is more about the candidate rather than the party, since a party can promise many things, but it is up to the MP to fulfil those promises in their constituency,” he said.
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