Felda settler E. Perumal remembers the day when he set foot at Felda Mayam in Kemayan near here with his wife and their children in 1976.
The father-of-five was among 34 Indian families who moved into the newly developed area along with about 200 families to start a new life working on oil palm plantations for a living.
Although four decades have passed, Perumal is grateful for the opportunity given to him to raise his family in the settlement.
Since then, his children have gotten married and moved on with their lives outside Pahang. However, he prefers to remain in Bera.
Perumal says although the Bera parliamentary constituency was only created in 2003, the semi-urban area has now grown by leaps and bounds.
"Bera was once part of the Temerloh district and the development in the area was quite slow, but once it became a district, things started to change. As far as the senior residents are concerned, our first member of parliament Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob is the 'Father of development' for Bera.
"Since he was elected in 2004, Datuk Seri (Ismail Sabri) has been bringing development and progress to Bera.
"Bera is flanked by Temerloh (Pahang) and Jempol (Negri Sembilan), but many people were not aware of its existence.
"Bera has become more popular after Ismail Sabri was elected as the prime minister last year," he said when met here.
Perumal described Ismail Sabri, a four-term Bera MP, as approachable and always willing to lend a listening ear to the people here, regardless of race or background.
"He is our first MP and someone who listens to our problems. Maybe because he has witnessed how Bera developed from a quiet settlement and knew what the people here required to ensure the area expanded.
"As far as the Indian community is concerned, he has not only approved allocations for temples and non-governmental organisations, but also attended our festivals even before he was elected as the prime minister. Recently, during a Deepavali event in Bera, he made thosai."
Perumal said although Bera was a laid-back town, where the people enjoyed a slow-paced life, the town has a hospital with modern facilities, a Mara Junior Science College and an army camp.
"Ismail Sabri is focused on providing more jobs for the people here, especially youths. I believe we may soon have an industrial area. There are talks that a university is planning to open a branch campus here. The people here hope all these plans will become a reality after the 15th General Election."
Felda Purun village headman Sabri Robani, 52, described Ismail Sabri as a leader who keeps his promises, including those to Felda settlers.
"He has given the assurance that he will look into providing homes for second-generation Felda settlers and is trying to resolve the matter in stages. We must not rush into things but give him time to look into the matter.
"Felda schemes in Bera have received a lot of assistance from him, and he has promised to do more for the settlers.
"Bera town has developed since he became MP and everyone knows that he has been working harder for the people here after becoming the prime minister."
The father-of-four said Ismail Sabri was popular among the people here because he would attend gatherings and mingle with everyone.
Sabri said several development projects had been earmarked in Bera, but it might require time to be implemented.
He hoped that Ismail Sabri would continue to serve the constituency to turn all the plans into reality.
Hairul Azzuan Ishak, 37, said despite Ismail Sabri carrying out his duties as the country's top leader, Bera remained close to his heart.
"Apart from the official events in the constituency, Ismail Sabri also attends meet-and-greet sessions and kenduri rakyat, where he mingles with the people and shares the same table with elderly villagers. His presence often livens up conversations.
"Throughout his 18 years in office (as Bera MP ), Ismail Sabri has brought a lot of development to the area. The narrow Bera-Temerloh stretch has been upgraded. Although it has resulted in an increase in traffic, it is beneficial in terms of economic growth."
Meanwhile, Sim Lai Fong, 30, said Ismail Sabri is well liked by the people, including those in Triang (a seat that has been held by the opposition since the 1990s).
Sim said Ismail Sabri had never sidelined the constituency and provided a balanced development in the area and other two state seats (Guai and Kemayan) under the Bera parliamentary constituency.
"Although Triang belonged to the opposition, Datuk Seri would attend programmes with the Chinese community in the area. He even approved new facilities here. He granted land to build a Chinese school several years ago."