Tomorrow’s Kuala Kubu Baharu poll, like previous by-elections, could serve as a referendum on the political vitality of the incumbent party, which this time is the Pakatan Harapan coalition. – Alif Omar/Scoop pic, May 10, 2024
OPINION/ANALYSIS
Kuala Kubu Baharu: will PH supporters mete out some tough love? – Terence Fernandez
Discerning voters may decide they have nothing to lose with a Perikatan Nasional win
Terence Fernandez
Updated 1 hour ago
10 May, 2024, 8:35 PM MYT
THE Kuala Kubu Baharu (KKB) by-election tomorrow is not a walk in the park for the unity government.
By-elections can be viewed as a periodical assessment of the incumbent, especially if the incumbent represents the ruling party.
As such the incumbent needs to work especially hard to keep his or her seat.
The late Lee Kee Hiong, whose death on March 21 resulted in the vacancy of the KKB seat, was a much loved and respected assemblywoman.
The fact that she held the seat for three terms is a testament to her hard work and her endearment to the people of KKB – notwithstanding that her majority was reduced from 7,134 to 4,119 due to the “green wave” of Perikatan Nasional (PN) in 2022/2023 that sunk many of her colleagues in DAP and PKR.
But is sentiment for a local leader lost in her prime enough for DAP and Pakatan Harapan (PH) to retain this seat? That the heavyweights of PH are here on a daily basis is evidence that the coalition is not taking any chances.
Thosai-eating, saree-wearing Pang Sock Tao is doing her best to endear to the 17.5% Indian voters who observers feel hold the cards for a slim win for either side.
Likewise, local boy Khairul Azhari Saut is doing damage control due to the anti-vernacular school narrative of several PN leaders that could derail efforts to get some of the 30% Chinese votes.
PH, according to some analysts and media observers, went into the campaign as the underdog.
Not only does it need to woo the 47% of Malay voters – half of whom have swung to PN – it also needs to court its traditional supporters who may be disgruntled at the current state of affairs and feel they need to send a message.
As such, the discerning voter would consider that DAP losing this seat would not result in the collapse of the Selangor unity government.
In fact, the state leadership would work extra hard to regain the seat in the next election by ensuring past unfulfilled promises would finally be delivered.
Hence, the state machinery would continue to work long after the election dust had settled to ensure PN did not get to dig its claws deeper and spread its influence in neighbouring constituencies.
After all, PKR-DAP has seen its impact in Selangor, which it captured in 2008, wane in recent years.
This is largely credited to the vivacity of the PN campaign that capitalises on the dissatisfaction and fears of the Malay community to devastating effect in the last state elections, where PH lost 11 seats.
PH has 32 seats to PN’s 22. But the former’s alliance with Barisan Nasional (BN) gives Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Amirudin Shari the support of an additional two assemblymen.
The strategic voter who would normally mark the “X” beside the rocket or the eye on the ballot paper, may want to send a message to the incumbent and the ruling coalition not to take voters for granted.
This does not necessarily mean he or she will vote PN. It could just mean they will have something else better to do on polling day than casting their vote.
This could be viewed as healthy in a democracy where the ruling party is reminded that it should buck up and that the people are ultimately in charge.
In the last two weeks of campaigning, it has become obvious that national issues are taking centre stage – the economy, education and race relations seem to be at the centre of many a ceramah, with local matters playing a supporting role.
Potshots against national leaders including the prime minister seem to be the flavour of this campaign. Which is why it appears that the KKB by-election is an assessment of the almost 18-month-old Madani government.
Supporters of PH unhappy with how it has been managing the state or the country may want to exercise some tough love for PH to bring it back on track.
To them, better lose the battle on Saturday than the war four years from now. – May 10, 2024
Terence Fernandez is Group Editor in Chief of Big Boom Media which publishes Scoop
By-elections can be viewed as a periodical assessment of the incumbent, especially if the incumbent represents the ruling party.
As such the incumbent needs to work especially hard to keep his or her seat.
The late Lee Kee Hiong, whose death on March 21 resulted in the vacancy of the KKB seat, was a much loved and respected assemblywoman.
The fact that she held the seat for three terms is a testament to her hard work and her endearment to the people of KKB – notwithstanding that her majority was reduced from 7,134 to 4,119 due to the “green wave” of Perikatan Nasional (PN) in 2022/2023 that sunk many of her colleagues in DAP and PKR.
But is sentiment for a local leader lost in her prime enough for DAP and Pakatan Harapan (PH) to retain this seat? That the heavyweights of PH are here on a daily basis is evidence that the coalition is not taking any chances.
Thosai-eating, saree-wearing Pang Sock Tao is doing her best to endear to the 17.5% Indian voters who observers feel hold the cards for a slim win for either side.
Likewise, local boy Khairul Azhari Saut is doing damage control due to the anti-vernacular school narrative of several PN leaders that could derail efforts to get some of the 30% Chinese votes.
PH, according to some analysts and media observers, went into the campaign as the underdog.
Not only does it need to woo the 47% of Malay voters – half of whom have swung to PN – it also needs to court its traditional supporters who may be disgruntled at the current state of affairs and feel they need to send a message.
As such, the discerning voter would consider that DAP losing this seat would not result in the collapse of the Selangor unity government.
In fact, the state leadership would work extra hard to regain the seat in the next election by ensuring past unfulfilled promises would finally be delivered.
Hence, the state machinery would continue to work long after the election dust had settled to ensure PN did not get to dig its claws deeper and spread its influence in neighbouring constituencies.
After all, PKR-DAP has seen its impact in Selangor, which it captured in 2008, wane in recent years.
This is largely credited to the vivacity of the PN campaign that capitalises on the dissatisfaction and fears of the Malay community to devastating effect in the last state elections, where PH lost 11 seats.
PH has 32 seats to PN’s 22. But the former’s alliance with Barisan Nasional (BN) gives Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Amirudin Shari the support of an additional two assemblymen.
The strategic voter who would normally mark the “X” beside the rocket or the eye on the ballot paper, may want to send a message to the incumbent and the ruling coalition not to take voters for granted.
This does not necessarily mean he or she will vote PN. It could just mean they will have something else better to do on polling day than casting their vote.
This could be viewed as healthy in a democracy where the ruling party is reminded that it should buck up and that the people are ultimately in charge.
In the last two weeks of campaigning, it has become obvious that national issues are taking centre stage – the economy, education and race relations seem to be at the centre of many a ceramah, with local matters playing a supporting role.
Potshots against national leaders including the prime minister seem to be the flavour of this campaign. Which is why it appears that the KKB by-election is an assessment of the almost 18-month-old Madani government.
Supporters of PH unhappy with how it has been managing the state or the country may want to exercise some tough love for PH to bring it back on track.
To them, better lose the battle on Saturday than the war four years from now. – May 10, 2024
Terence Fernandez is Group Editor in Chief of Big Boom Media which publishes Scoop
Nons MUST put the boot up the jacksie of PH
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DeleteSay NO to Rocket
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