SEREMBAN, April 11 ― The by-election for the Rantau state seat that has brought droves of people to the constituency over the past week or so is a blessing for traders.
Homestay operator Datuk Hanafi Sulaiman, 53, said all his accommodation units have been booked by political parties for the 14 days of the election campaign since March 30.
His homestay facility, located on a 4.9-hectare site by the Linggi River in Kuala Sawah, comes complete with a hall, surau and fishing pond and can accommodate 200 guests at any one time.
“I can say that the returns during the election campaign period have risen by 10 per cent,” he told Bernama.
Usually, the homestay units are taken up by tourists from outside Negeri Sembilan and by people who wish to host wedding receptions or reunions, he said.
Yow Hua Chee, 68, said sales have risen for his mee sup and yong taufu business that he has been operating in the town of Rantau since the 70s.
“I used to sell about 100 bowls of mee and yong taufu daily but over the last week the sales have doubled,” he said.
Yow runs the business inherited from his late father with the help of his wife and one of their three children.
Canopy supplier Mohd Sadam Mohd Jan, 28, is overjoyed that all his canopies have been rented out for use in the election campaign. He said all his 40 canopies have been rented out. Five other canopy suppliers had the same story to tell.
“Usually, people rent the canopies for two or three days for functions but during this election campaign, they have been rented for two weeks at a stretch,” Mohd Sadam beamed.
The Rantau by-election, polling for which is on Saturday, is a four-cornered contest among anaesthetist Dr S. Streram of Pakatan Harapan (PH); Umno deputy president and former Negri Sembilan mentri besar Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan of Barisan Nasional (BN) and two independent candidates, namely R. Malarvizhi, a housewife, and Mohd Nor Yassin, a former lecturer.
The by-election has been necessitated by the Federal Court dismissal of an appeal filed by Mohamad to set aside the Nov 16 Seremban Election Court decision declaring his unopposed victory in the 14th general election (GE14) null and void.
In GE14, Mohamad was declared the winner of the seat after Dr Streram was prohibited from entering the nomination centre to submit his nomination papers because he did not have a pass issued by the EC. ― Bernama
