Bentong set for ‘golden decade’
Liow is largely responsible for transforming shanty Bentong into a vibrant town, but is this sufficient to win majority votes for another term as MP?
BENTONG is surely one of the best known parliamentary constituencies – largely due to the huge media coverage given to the seat held by MCA president Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai.
The hilly town has also attained fame for producing Musang King, the country’s prized durian.
But as the general election approaches, the stage is set for round two of the fight between Liow and Wong Tack of DAP.
Wong caused a scare when he lost to Liow by a mere whisker in the last general election. Liow retained the seat with a slim majority of 379 to continue serving Bentong for the fourth term.
And now the question is, can Wong pull the same feat? Earlier talks that DAP will field top guns including Tony Pua have fizzled out, and Wong has officially been declared the candidate to take on Liow.
In a recent local event, a resident was overheard commenting: “It will be less exciting if DAP fields Wong Tack as candidate again.”
Wong was the celebrated face of the antiLynas rare earth plant campaign before the 2013 general election, but the environment issue has since ceased to be a hot topic.
Liow, 57, has always maintained that he will defend Bentong to drive economic development in this mixed constituency, where Malays form 46.48% of the 67,514 constituents, Chinese 41.71% and Indians 9.16%.
In Bentong, the presence of Liow is felt everywhere. Billboards showing the neatly-attired politician beaming widely and wishing the locals and visitors “Gong Xi Fa Cai” have not been taken down.
And on these billboards, he advertises his vision for the constituency in the form of “a golden decade for a prosperous Bentong”.
At functions, Liow often reminds the locals: “We should not let this golden chance of developing Bentong slip away.”
There is no doubt that under Liow, a new wave of development has arrived here.
The Bentong town is nestled within a lush green mountainous range shrouded in fog on rainy days.
From afar, two of the peaks resemble an ox, hence the hill is known as “niu bei shan (back of an ox)” among the locals.
Taking advantage of its vicinity to the Klang Valley, Liow has been promoting Bentong as the back garden and satellite town of Greater Kuala Lumpur, placing Bentong on the tourist map in Malaysia, Singapore and China.
The hour-long drive on the winding Karak Highway brings harried urbanites to this “fresh air lung-washing” destination as endorsed by the Tourism Ministry.
Musang King, Bentong ginger, jungle walks, waterfalls and a hot spring are the main draws of Bentong, and the influx of tourists in recent years has contributed to the mushrooming of homestays, durian stalls and eateries in this former tin-mining settlement.
The residents know that the development enjoyed by Bentong now is made possible partly because Liow holds a ministerial post and is a political party commander.
The East Coast Rail Link, for instance, will have a stop in Bentong, reducing the travelling time between Bentong and Kuala Lumpur to 25 minutes. It is also set to increase Pahang’s gross domestic product by 1.5%.
Liow has also deftly made use of his close connection with China to promote Bentong by hosting the Chinese ambassador, TV crew and entrepreneurs here.
He has also sent local new village chiefs to China to study village transformation.
Liow’s gentlemanly and approachable demeanour has endeared him to his constituents, and his plans for Bentong were clear for all to see.
The robust economic activities have rejuvenated Bentong and created jobs, and will entice the younger generation to stay on.
Chua Teik Huang, owner of glamping (glamorous camping) site Caravan Serai, is among those who have grabbed the business opportunities.
Sharing his experience at an e-commerce event, he said he was ridiculed for being too naïve when he started this business seven years ago.
“I kept quiet with a broken heart. But today, those people regretted it 100%.
“Bentong has become very famous and vibrant now,” he said.
Within Bentong, there are four state seats. Bilut, Ketari and Sabai are currently held by DAP, while Pelangai is held by Pahang Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Adnan Yaakob.
Liow has named Bentong MCA Youth chief Jason Poo Mun Hoong as the Bilut candidate. Ketari is likely to be contested by Gerakan while Sabai, MIC.
The election on May 9 is likely to see three-corner fights in these four seats as PAS has announced that it will contest in all four state seats.
While most political analysts are confident that Liow will retain his seat, it will be too risky for the minister to be complacent.
DAP, in its ceramah on a Sunday night, dwelled on controversial national issues.
Held at a section of road cordoned off to traffic, the ceramah saw its party leaders like Lim Guan Eng and Tony Pua winning rousing applause for their speeches punctuated with merciless jabs at Barisan Nasional.
The Opposition pledged to abolish the Karak tolls if they win the polls.
Wong, 59, who has gone off the radar since the last general election, is said to have been quietly making inroads into the Felda settlements and rural residential areas in Bentong.
Felda settlements, the traditional “safe deposits” of Barisan, have warmed up to the Opposition lately.
Inside Felda Lurah Bilut, where Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak launched Felda 2.0 Initiative in February, flags of PAS and PKR are fluttering.
Come May 9, the Bentong folk will have to decide if they want to enjoy Liow’s “golden decade”, or Pakatan Harapan’s highway toll savings and other promises.