Introduction

Padang Serai is a semi-rural parliamentary constituency comprising the state-level constituencies of Merbau Pulas and Lunas. It is an ethnically mixed, narrowly Malay-majority seat. The Indian population, especially in Lunas, is significantly higher than the national average, comprising a quarter of total voters. Merbau Pulas, in contrast, is two-thirds Malay, although still with a substantial Indian minority. Many of the Indians are former estate workers and remain low-income earners. The Chinese, on the other hand, reside mostly in towns and are largely middle-income earners. Poverty is a major issue among the Indians, though it is also an issue that affects the Chinese, as evidenced by the existence of some poorly maintained Chinese villages such as Kelang Sago. Our impression was that most in the Malay community here seem to live modest but comfortable lives.

Lunas is slightly more urbanised than Merbau Pulas; it is made up of clusters of small towns and residential areas. Within Lunas, Taman Selasih is the most densely populated suburb, as it is a new town with its own commercial centre. In comparison, Merbau Pulas comprises mainly oil palm estates. The closest small town to Merbau Pulas is Padang Serai, which can only be described as timeworn. Development in Padang Serai is largely influenced by Kulim Hi-tech Park and its proximity to Bukit Mertajam, Penang. Internet accessibility is rather high, even in rural Merbau Pulas. Nevertheless, even though Kulim Hi-tech Park was built in 1996 in line with national strategies for Malaysia to become a fully industrialised nation by 2020 (Kulim Hi-tech Park 2012), the pace of development in Padang Serai has been relatively slow.

The closely fought election in highly heterogeneous Padang Serai offers valuable insight into how candidates shaped their strategies and voters made their decisions. Recent experience had left voters sceptical of Pakatan Rakyat (Pakatan) at the local level despite their still-strong support for the coalition broadly, while multiple third-party and independent candidates made for a crowded field.