From Kelantan to Kuala Besut, student activists bring with them a cautionary tale
The student activists, who will make the journey in a five-year-old silver Kia Pregio van, want to remind Kuala Besut voters about the oil royalty issues that continue to plague their home state. - Pictures by Saw Siow Feng
KUALA BESUT, July 14 ―
A group of eight young men plan to make an hour-long journey here from their homes in Kelantan every day just to caution people against voting for Barisan Nasional (BN).
“We’re here not only during the weekends, but also weekdays. The moment we finish class at 3pm every day, we’ll drop by here,” said Mohd Khamis Saloman Pariz, 19.
Kuala Besut is just over an hour’s drive from the Kota Baru town of Nilam Puri, where the International Islamic College of Sultan Ismail Petra (KIAS) is located.
The student activists, who will make the journey in a five-year-old silver Kia Pregio van, want to remind Kuala Besut voters about the oil royalty issues that continue to plague their home state, warning it might one day affect folks in Terengganu, too.
“Our hope is to bring up the issues of oil royalty and territorial water sovereignty,” group leader Aduka Taruna, 32, told The Malay Mail Online at an impromptu rally near a Ramadan bazaar here.
“We would like to share this with Kuala Besut voters... we want them to consider the issues of natural resources, dignity, and sovereignty when they cast their votes.”
The sleepy fishing town of Kuala Besut will see a by-election on July 24; it will be a straight fight between local boys Azlan Yusof, 48, from PAS, and BN’s Tengku Zaihan Che Ku Abdul Rahman, 37.
Originally from Seremban, Aduka is a committee member of grassroots movement “R”, which is part of Kelantan’s battle with Putrajaya for oil royalty the PAS government says is due to the state.
Since the discovery of new oil reserves there last year, there is an ongoing dispute about whether it is located inside Pahang or Terengganu, and most importantly, which state is owed the oil royalty.Holding placards saying “Telaga Bertam hok Ganu” (Bertam field is Terengganu’s) and “Kembalikan Bertam hak kite” (Return Bertam, our right), the group wishes to remind Kuala Besut folks about the Bertam oil field, situated 160 kilometres off the coast of peninsula Malaysia.
Since the discovery of new oil reserves there last year, there is an ongoing dispute about whether it is located inside Pahang or Terengganu, and most importantly, which state is owed the oil royalty.
“Najib had announced that Bertam belongs to Pahang through a media statement ... there was no legal process,” Aduka complained, referring to Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak.
In October, the PM announced that Pahang is expected to be awarded a royalty of RM100 million annually, commencing from the start of operations in the third quarter of 2014.
KIAS student Nik Aziz Afiq Abdul, 19, tagged along after being inspired by the call of Prophet Muhammad to not turn a blind eye on injustice.
“The struggle for the people’s right is consistent with the Prophet’s command ... when we see injustice, we have to fight it together,” Nik Aziz said, shortly after delivering a brief public “tazkirah” (lecture) on Muhammad’s words.
Nik Aziz Afiq's 'tazkirah' was broadcast through a loudspeaker installed on top of their van.His “tazkirah” was broadcast through a loudspeaker installed on top of their van. In between speeches, the van played pro-Pakatan Rakyat (PR) songs, including “Undi Bulan” which was set to the tune of a popular Aidilfitri song. The song’s title means “vote moon” ― a reference to Islamist party PAS’ crescent logo.
The group will share the homes of fellow “R” activists based in Terengganu, as they rotate their roster throughout the 12-day campaign which started on Friday.
After meeting the Terengganu group just the night before, Aduka has conceded that they would have to adhere to the different campaigning culture in the state.
“You cannot use personal attacks against your opponent,” he noted.
The group received an unexpected visit from PAS candidate Azlan, or Che Long as he is popularly known, just before breaking fast.
“Ambo will serve as best as I can,” said Azlan during his brief speech, referring to himself in the East coast dialect.
The Kuala Besut by-election will be held on July 24 and was called following the death of BN’s Dr A. Rahman Mokhtar on June 26 from lung cancer.
The state seat has 17,679 registered voters, of which 98 per cent are Malays.
- See more at: http://www.themalaymailonline.com/malaysia/article/from-kelantan-to-kuala-besut-student-activists-bring-with-them-a-cautionary#sthash.hRrFwmFR.dpuf
No comments:
Post a Comment