KUALA TERENGGANU: The battle for Chinese votes in a Malaysian state by-election is heating up in the east coast capital of Kuala Terengganu as campaigning gets underway.

Although the Chinese account for less than 11 per cent of the electorate, they are said to be potential kingmakers.

Passing the Kampung Cina arch in Kuala Terengganu is like stepping back in time. Flanking the main street are two rows of shophouses, some of which date back as early as the 1800s.

The Chinese community there are mostly from the Hokkien and Hainanese dialect groups. They have maintained their cultural identities, despite integrating with local Malays.

Madam Teo and her family have been living in Kampung Cina for five generations, selling traditional glutinous rice cakes, which are essential food items for the Lunar New Year celebrations.

Her excitement about the upcoming by-election magnified her shock when she found out earlier that her name was missing from the electoral roll.

"I couldn't find my name; they said I was already dead!" she exclaimed.

Even though Mdm Teo is a Buddhist, she spoke fondly of the benefits during the five years under Pan-Malaysian Islamic Party (PAS) rule.

"The last time when PAS won, we didn't have to pay for TV licence. Land and annual assessment fees were exempted as well," she said.

Her neighbour Mr Lim, who is a businessman, said he is fed up with the ruling Barisan Nasional (BN) style of politics.

He said: "It's not that I don't give BN a chance, I have given them too many chances, but I didn't get any benefits in return. I have lost confidence in BN, I hardly see their representatives doing their rounds here to help the people."

His sentiment is shared by many in Chinatown. But as the race heats up, the usually quiet Kampung Cina is seeing a rising number of bigwigs descending on Kuala Terengganu to woo voters.


- CNA/so