Low wages still the issue

There are 13,664 voters in the Bagan Pinang by-election. 20% are Indian voters. Coupled with 10% Chinese voters, they become an important group which the political parties are not ignoring.

Clamouring for the Indian votes for BN are 9 groups from the Indian-based political parties, including individuals who've fallen from the favour of their own leaders. People such as MIC's Sothinathan and Vickneswaran and PPP's Murugaiah. Also campaigning is former Hindraf national coordinator, now BN-leaning Thanendran with this new party the Malaysian Makkal Sakthi Party.

The campaining for the Indian votes is centred in and around the 4 plantations that are within the Bagan Pinang state constituency. Ladang Atherton, Bradwall, Siliau and Sua Betong.

Both BN and PAS are well represented with party workers in their pondoks and the banner and bunting wars extend into these estates.

But what we found interesting is that only between 20 to 25 percent of estate workers are Malaysians. Most are now foreign labourers from Indonesia and Bangladesh. So in an estate with 100 workers, may be only 20 are Malaysian with their families.

Most have left the estates either as retirees or to earn more money working in the towns nearby. If they were to remain as estate workers, they only earn 18 ringgit per day.

Nevertheless the Indian-based groups are in Bagan Pinang in full force to deliver the 2,829 votes to Barisan Nasional.

Malaysiakini went into three of the estates to talk to the local residents.