GUA MUSANG: Whenever a weekend or holiday rolls around, residents of Kampung Bertam Baru have to brace for blackouts that can last for hours at a time.

“The blackouts happen so often whenever we have a holiday or on a weekend, and they last for hours,” restaurant owner Zuriati Zainal Abidin told Sinar Harian Online.

 “It makes it difficult for us to go about our daily chores, especially for those who depend on electricity to make a living,” said the 49-year-old recently.

Residents such as Zuriati, 49, want whoever wins the Nenggiri by-election next week to put an end to the blackouts once and for all, as these incidents also impact the area’s cellphone and Internet coverage.

“Every time the electricity goes out, there will be no cellphone signals because the cellular towers also use the same supply as the village,” said Zuriati, whose community of 500 residents is located some 45km from Gua Musang town.

Like many villages and settlements in the Nenggiri state constituency, Kampung Bertam Baru is surrounded by lush plantations and jungles that are characteristics of the Gua Musang district.According to politicians campaigning for the by-election, the constituency is almost twice the size of Melaka, but only has about 20,200 voters, or about 6% of Kelantan’s voter population.

Rohaya Jaafar, who works at another eatery in the village, said the blackouts and disruption to cellular coverage are a hazard, especially if there are medical emergencies.

“It takes an hour for us to get to Gua Musang town, so it becomes very inconvenient when there is no electricity. When it rains, the Internet also goes down,” said the 38-year-old.

“Our children’s studies are also disrupted because they need the Internet and electricity for their computers and tablets,” she told Sinar Harian Online.

Perikatan Nasional won the seat from Barisan Nasional in the 2023 state elections by an 810-vote majority, and the latter is hoping to win it back in the Aug 17 by-election.

Kelantan Umno Youth chief Mohd Azmawi Fikri Abdul Ghani is Barisan’s candidate, while Perikatan is depending on religious education coordinator Mohd Rizwadi Ismail to defend the seat.

https://www.thestar.com.my/news/nation/2024/08/07/residents-want-an-end-to-frequent-blackouts