Perhaps one word best explains why an independent candidate won the state seat of Tanah Rata in Cameron Highlands at the recent elections - ‘honesty’. Ho Yip Kap, a retired headmaster, is a well respected and honest man. Against all odds, he won because the locals wanted an honest person to be their state representative.(above all other considerations)

Weeks leading up to the elections, like many other districts in Malaysia, there was a swelling tide of discontent up here in the Highlands. There were deep dissatisfaction and frustration over the rampant corruption, cronyism and lack of transparency in the local government. Little did the locals realise that come election day, the political tsunami that would sweep the western states would also reach Cameron Highlands (despite being located at such a high elevation!)

The following are some of the issues troubling the local residents:

1.Illegal land clearing especially at water catchment areas and the lack of enforcement has resulted in the mushrooming of illegal farms.(eg from 11 to 58 farms at the Sg Terla water catchment areas within two years.)

2. The de-gazettement of permanent forest reserves and the subsequent allocation of this land to the politically well-connected (eg. the Mentigi forest reserve on the slopes of Gunung Jasar in Tanah Rata with its precious montane/mossy forest is one such example. Recently as much as 33 acres have been allocated to members of the ruling party and their cronies.

Never mind that no EIA has been done. Never mind that this area is on slopes of more than 30 degrees and any clearing will result in massive landslides.)

3. Despite the traffic jams during peak seasons, stalls ( gerai ) continued to be built on road reserves. Instead of making more car parks to alleviate the problem, existing parking spaces are converted into stalls! (A good example is in the centre of Tanah Rata town. Just before the recent elections, a row of stalls was hastily erected next to the main road.

Complaints were not entertained as the said project was on the ruling party’s land!) It does not take a genius to figure out that if buses and cars are unable to unload their passengers, the shops in the vicinity will have less customers and everyone suffers. Except, of course, the people who collect the rent from the stalls. It is so obvious to the local people the corruption and cronyism involved here.

The list goes on and on and on. From the ‘extra fees or tea money’ farmers have to fork out each time they renew their temporary occupation license (which is done annually) to the ailing Terminal Freesia (this is actually a new two-storey bus and taxi terminal but somewhere along the line something happened and we have a ramp for taxis and cars that is not passable to taxis and cars!).

Now, more of the taxpayers money has got to be spent to repair it. The conversion of the traffic system in Brinchang to a one-way system without prior consultation with the locals is another example .This affected the businesses in Brinchang badly as people were now bypassing the town. Fortunately, it has now been reverted to a two-way traffic system..

Perhaps it was also MCA’s undoing when instead of nominating from a list of respected candidates, they, at the eleventh hour, sprung a surprise.

That was the straw that broke the camel’s back and Ho, the reluctant politician, was persuaded by the desperate locals to contest. By virtue of his sincerity and honesty plus his strong grassroots support, Ho will be an asset to whichever party he chooses to join. However, MCA has failed to see this and is compounding their earlier mistakes.

So far, they seem to be making it extremely difficult for Ho to rejoin MCA. Perhaps they want to ‘save face’.

So on March 8, the tsunami swept across Cameron Highlands, from Ringlet all the way to Blue Valley. People were voting across racial lines. Farmers, especially the younger ones, were fed up with the cam choy threats (in Cantonese for ‘chopping vegetables’) if certain parties did not win.

People wanted change so they said ‘ Mari kita undi untuk Cikgu ’ And lo and behold, Ho Yip Kap won!

YB Devamany, the MIC MP for Cameron Highlands was spared the tsunami because thetidal wave did not reach Jelai located in the eastern slopes of Banjaran Titiwangsa.

It is now hoped that the current state government of Pahang will help clean up Cameron Highlands.