PARTIES NOT WAITING FOR GE14

BN, Pas and Pakatan Harapan working as if election is days away

KUALA TERENGGANU

THE war drums are beating louder among political parties as they try to get voters’ attention to emerge victorious in the 14th General Election (GE14).

These political parties, namely Barisan Nasional (BN), Pas and a new player from Pakatan Harapan, seemed to be putting aside predictions on when the general election is going to be held.

They are working as if it is just days away. They are not waiting for the dissolution of Parliament because that will limit their campaigns to 60 days or less, giving them little time to get their messages across and repair rifts from within, which usually is the case after the naming of candidates.

Unlike the 13th General Election, which was dubbed the “mother of all general elections”, the aggression to win GE14 at all costs is the order of the day as the parties know very well that it is a “do-or-die” mission.

In Terengganu, often regarded as a swing state, it is clearly a contest between BN and Pas, but the presence of Pakatan Harapan may frustrate the main contenders, especially in constituencies where incumbents have won with razor-thin majorities.

With 32 state and eight parliamentary seats up for grabs, BN and Pas have everything to win or lose because their victories in the last election did not reflect the true faith of the people.

BN won four state seats with fewer than 1,000-majority votes, including Kuala Berang, which it won with 449 extra votes. These will be the seats targeted by Pas and Pakatan Harapan.

Vice-versa, Pas won five seats with fewer than 1,000 votes and three seats with fewer than 300 votes.

BN will be eyeing these seats, while Pakatan Harapan may attempt to frustrate Pas.

Although BN won 17 state seats and formed the state government, it was not a comfortable figure and had left everyone on the edge of their seats.

The dethronement of Datuk Seri Ahmad Said as menteri besar was a case in point.

Pas, with 14 seats, was hoping that the Kijal assemblyman and four others would cross over.

Fortunately for BN, that did not happen.

This experience served as a wake-up call for BN as a slim majority in the state assembly may become a swan song for a party should any of its assemblymen decide to cross over.

Informed sources say BN is committed to winning a minimum of 22 state and seven parliamentary seats in GE14.

This is not impossible because BN, under the leadership of former menteri besar Datuk Seri Idris Jusoh, had won 28 seats in the 2004 campaign.

Splinter groups, which have not gone through the test of time and are merely hoping for sympathy votes, may not appeal to voters.

Yes, some may vote for Pakatan Harapan, but most will go for parties with a proven track record.

Pakatan Harapan had a slow start in its campaign in the state.

Its campaign strategy seems to focus on projects that have been delayed for more than a term, and those that take a long time to repair, such as Sultan Mizan Stadium in Gong Badak, the swimming arena in Batu Buruk, Kemaman Zoo and the knowledge park in Besut.

All these projects have exceeded their timelines compared with building new ones, and Pakatan Harapan has painted them as failed promises.

However, it will take more than these issues to convince voters that it is a better choice for government.

Both BN and Pas, however, have taken a different approach in their campaigns.

The former is mobilising its machinery quietly without fanfare to reach the grassroots, while the latter is trying to impress the people with carnivals, interceded with old-style c eramah, giving around five speakers less than 20 minutes to deliver their messages on stage.

Pas’s Fastaqim 2.0 carnival in Kuala Terengganu on Sept 29 and 30 was a definite crowd-puller, but the majority who attended were outsiders.

The locals were wise enough to avoid the 5km-long traffic congestion that eased only at 3am on the last day.

Observers believe that if Pas can keep the spirits high, it may organise Fastaqim 3.0 during the GE14 campaign period at places where it has a clear chance of victory. Terengganu is a choice, and so are Kelantan, Kedah and Selangor.

But, another Fastaqim carnival may end in disaster if it attracts only visitors who are starved of entertainment, and those not interested in its political messages.

The down-to-earth approach by BN to meet and help voters on the spot seemed much more heartwarming.

BN reaches out to the people without fanfare and the heart-toheart meetings with village security and development committees quickly make up for lost time as they fulfil old promises and hear new requests.

BN assemblymen seem to be busy serving the voters even though they do not know whether they will be shortlisted again to contest the election. They are carrying the BN identity, and not of themselves.

This is a telling effort to encourage voters to vote for the party, and not the individual.

Whether the strategy works remains to be seen.

No one from BN or Pas really knows who will stay, or who will be dropped as a candidate.

But hints from both camps are quite obvious, with preference for new blood among professionals, technocrats and academicians, who can project dynamism and commitment.

Of course, both BN and Pas have touted their candidates as likeable and winnable.

Pakatan Harapan, however, has yet to promote its potential candidates, and observers believe its representation will be few and focused on urban constituencies.

Parochialism is still an issue in Terengganu.

Voters’ sentiment seems to be the best source of information on who their preferred representatives should be. At the party level, the wrong choice of candidates — especially picking those who did not rise from the rank-and-file — may lead to mutiny.

It may affect the party election machinery and even send wrong signals to the state and federal leaderships on the direction of voting. But, observers opine that the problems faced by BN, Pas and Pakatan Harapan — emotional, parochial, obstructive and defensive — are similar as they are all human beings who want to win big.

GE14 is not a game for any of the contesting parties. They are well aware that the future of the nation and state is at stake.

They also realise that their own future as a political party is hanging in the balance.