Soaring costs top issue ahead of Penang by-election

Opposition expected to win as voters raise concerns over govt subsidy cuts, tariff hikes

- Azril Annuar

Diesel, eggs and the soaring cost of living are the three hot topics of the day among voters and politicians in Sungai Bakap, a semi-rural ward on mainland Penang where a closely watched by-election will be held in early July.

Opposition politicians have been hammering the Malaysian government over the issue of spiralling living costs, which have edged up after the recent diesel subsidy cuts and raised utility rates.

Also in play is the three-sen (about one Singapore cent) reduction in retail egg prices announced on June 17 that the government said would help people cope with rising costs, but this has been widely mocked as doing too little.

The Sungai Bakap constituency, in the southern part of mainland Penang, was won by a narrow 1,563 votes by the opposition Perikatan Nasional (PN) coalition in the August 2023 state election.

Before that, the seat was successfully held through three consecutive general elections by Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim’s Pakatan Harapan (PH) alliance.

Political observers expect a similar result to the previous election, with PN successfully holding its seat against PH, as voting patterns have remained unchanged, while voter lethargy has set in across the board. But even if PH loses the constituency for a second time, this would not have any impact on the 40-seat Penang state assembly, as the ruling coalition controls a comfortable two-thirds majority.

Sungai Bakap, located next to the north-western Kedah state, has 38,409 eligible voters as of 2023, with the by-election called after the death of PN assemblyman Nor Zamri Latiff on May 24. Among the constituency’s voters, 59.4 per cent are Malay, 22.5 per cent Chinese and 17.4 per cent Indian.

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