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GEORGE TOWN: For many, Balik Pulau is a land of “bests” – it is touted to have the best rolling hills, the best durians and the best roads snaking around the spine of Penang Island.
Unlike George Town on the east side of the island, Balik Pulau’s western frontier is largely undeveloped and it is primarily an agricultural town.
It is also home to Penang Island’s largest parliamentary seat, covering the vast hinterland that is the western part with almost 120,000 voters.
Most of the people are Malays, with a sizeable number from the Hakka Chinese community.
Voters here had picked Barisan Nasional (BN) candidates as their MPs since 1974.
Local boy and PKR member Yusmadi broke BN’s winning streak with a 708-vote majority in the 2008 general election.
However, local boy and PKR member Yusmadi Yusoff broke BN’s winning streak with a 708-vote majority in the 2008 general election. He was the first PKR candidate to win the seat after repeated tries by the party since 1999.
In the last general election, BN’s Dr Hilmi Yahaya, 69, regained the seat he had won in 2004 by defeating PKR’s Muhammad Bakhtiar Wan Chik. Hilmi, who is Balik Pulau Umno chief, won with a majority of 1,539 votes.
Commenting on talk that he might make a comeback in the 14th general election (GE14), Yusmadi said the ultimate decision lay with the party leadership.
“But anyhow, the party and Anwar Ibrahim have entrusted me to help wrest Balik Pulau in the coming polls,” he told FMT.
‘Good judges of character’
Yusmadi said his hometown folk were “socially parochial” and not keen on picking an outsider as their representative.
“The Balik Pulau folk are good judges of character. They can easily sum you up when they see you.
“But they are socially parochial. They cannot relate to outsiders. They trust their local people best.
Umno’s Dr Hilmi Yahaya won the seat in 2013 defeating PKR’s Muhammad Bakhtiar Wan Chik with a majority of 1,539 votes.
“When Dr Hilmi Yahaya won in 2013, I congratulated him. He is a family friend. Like most people and politicians in Balik Pulau, he is scandal-free and a good person,” he added.
Hilmi, who is deputy health minister, was Teluk Bahang state assemblyman for three terms beginning from the early 1990s. In 1999, he was appointed as Penang’s deputy chief minister.
Blessing in disguise
Yusmadi said the decision to not field him in the polls in 2013 might have been for his own good as he was given a chance to improve himself and pursue his passion of advocating human rights.
He said over the past few years, he had set up the RIGHTS Foundation, a think tank and charitable organisation that also focuses on Southeast Asian law and diplomacy.
“I am glad the PKR leadership did not field me the last time around. It was a blessing in disguise.
“I learnt a lot and also unlearned a lot of things. I am like a ‘pendekar’ (warrior) who has spent some time in a cave, meditating.
“I am a better person now, ever ready to face what is ahead of me,” he said, adding that he always made it a point to return to Balik Pulau despite his many travels around the region.
‘Beyond possibilities’
Asked about the party’s chances in Balik Pulau, Yusmadi said it would not be easy to regain the seat as the three state seats – Teluk Bahang, Pulau Betong and Bayan Lepas – were also under Umno.
“However, I believe Balik Pulau’s acronym ‘BP’ stands for ‘beyond possibilities’. It’s where anything can happen.
“Balik Pulau people are simple people. Most of them are fishermen and farmers, and their children work mostly in factories and the civil service.
“They must not be treated like kampung people, but be given urban-level service.”
He said PKR wanted to empower the poor people in Balik Pulau, especially in Kg Nelayan Kuala Sg Pinang and other areas.
“We also want to protect our mangroves and our hills from development. Through our consensus in the opposition, we want to protect this.”
Yusmadi said he had started a law firm in Balik Pulau, the first of its kind in rural Penang, to fight public interest cases there.
In 2014, he also set up Akademi Rakyat in Balik Pulau to help single mothers and to give free classes. The centre is still active.
Big shoes to fill
On the BN front, an Umno insider said the party might field Pulau Betong assemblyman Muhammad Farid Saad as its candidate for the Balik Pulau parliamentary seat.
Umno insiders says the party might field Pulau Betong assemblyman Muhammad Farid Saad as its candidate for the Balik Pulau parliamentary seat.
The insider said Farid’s good record in serving the people of Balik Pulau and his oratory prowess was one of the reasons the party leadership had shortlisted him.
“Hilmi might be retiring after many decades in politics. But if he decides to leave, he leaves big shoes to fill,” the insider said.
In response to the insider’s comments, Farid said there had been no news of Hilmi’s retirement and that anything said was mere speculation.
As for him contesting in the coming polls, Farid said it was up to the prime minister to decide.
“I will still be here, somewhere in Balik Pulau,” he said without elaborating further.
Hilmi has not responded to FMT’s queries for comment.
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