NIZAR THE FAVOURITE AMONG THE RAKYAT - BUKIT GANTANG

TAIPING, April 1 – “Woi, Nizar’s here!,” a Chinese youth called loudly to his friends in Mandarin at the night market at Kota Jaya in Simpang yesterday evening.

Quickly, those around him, vendors and visitors alike whipped their heads around and stretched out their necks, looking to catch sight of the popular Pasir Panjang state assemblyman who is gunning for a spot in Parliament.

At the behest of the hawkers, Nizar tries his hand at flipping a murtabak at the Simpang night market. – Pix by Choo Choy May

Many rushed forward to shake his hands as he moved swiftly through each and every stall, smiling and greeting every hawker like an old friend, intimating a few words directly into their ears, clapping their shoulders, clasping an outstretched hand a tad tighter or holding it a millisecond longer. The traders returned the gesture, inviting him to try flipping a murtabak and taste their wares.

“This is not his first visit here,” a Malay food seller said. “It’s his third,” he added, explaining the apparent familiarity they had with Datuk Seri Mohammad Nizar Jamaluddin, whom he still regards as his lawful menteri besar, ignoring the fact that another now sits in the Ipoh office.

(Source: The Malaysian Insider)