Time for high-tension living

NOW that the long-awaited dissolution of parliament and the state legislative assembly are already behind us, we are at last experiencing again the hightension period of campaigning.

Most of us find this really exciting, while a few of us are apprehensive and depressed, especially those assemblymen and their followers who already have the gut feeling that there is no chance of them retaining their incumbency.

How ironic that those who should throw in the towel and decline candidacy to save energy and money can’t do it because that would affect the morale and dignity of their parties.

They have that strong feelings that they are going to lose, and yet they are prepared to part with a few hundred thousand ringgits and put their party’s candidates into serious debt - and all for nothing.

Some may even sell their lands with no hope of getting them back, all just to pay for the nomination costs and campaigning. Any case of getting cold feet and withdrawing from the fight would be seen as an act of cowardice which will remain in the minds of people for a very long time. So, onward to the battleground with a shout in a do-or-die mission.

Some of course will take this opportunity for self-promotion. They have been lobbying to be candidates for years or months, seeking to be hailed as the new warriors in the hope of winning and gaining a name to be etched on the people’s hall of fame. Some will be holding positions of prestige and privileges with which they will gain fame and fortune.

Some, despite knowing the slim chance of winning take on the lone ranger foray into the battlefield as independent candidates. Some do it on their own initiative while others do it because of some incentive given clandestinely by a major political party to spoil the opponents’ votes.

The benefit of fame which would raise the candidates’ profile in society and the advantage of controlling of a substantial amount of cash is worth any ridicule from cynics.

Those not contesting will be shoving themselves into the campaign fray for quick campaign cash on top of joining the excitement of raising campaign flags.

Many candidates, especially those in the recently ruling coalition, seeing these supporters behind them, gain extra confidence and believe they can’t possibly lose. Such candidates need to remind themselves about what happened in 1985 when an unknown clerk killed a goliath. Reportedly, the latter had much less votes than the number of his paid campaigners.

Election campaigns are extraordinary periods in our lives during which honesty may take a backseat because of campaigners’ inward knowledge of some of their leaders’ dishonesty and unlawful monetary gains which had made them unreasonably wealthy.

The guilt of fleecing and unfair pocketing of cash will be the order of the day. Complaints and condemnations for such dishonesty may ruin reputations but many can just brush the risk aside with nonchalance because of the opportunity for instant gains.

The uppermost questions in the minds of those armchair observers who prefer to just enjoy the sight of battles is this: Will the BN survive? How much will the fractured opposition do to change the status quo?

Who will win? In Malaysia polls are not reliable. Most people suspect that pollsters are paid by political parties who pay to ensure the polls’ results are in their favour. So relying on polls as guides for predicting elections results is unwise. Even in the Trump-Clinton presidential campaign a huge majority of the polls favoured the latter by double-digit predictions, causing ‘pundits’, the mainstream media and Clinton herself was beyond confident of America seeing the first woman president.

How strange that Raja Bomoh Malaysia is not making anymore effort to see the future with his bamboo binoculars! And don’t we have any new octopuses which can tell us who will be sitting in Putrajaya soon?

There are times when I wish I had a time machine which can bring me a few months ahead to see the answer, and come back to make some bets.

But let’s now enjoy one of the gifts of the democratic system election campaigns. In this time of surreal experiences, we will see many wise ones becoming foolish, and many ‘jokers’ becoming heroes and winners.

Emotions will fly off their handles and classic faux passes will be committed, really classic lines will be uttered and unforgettable verbal blunders (such as the “sink and swim” comedy) may happen again.

Candidates should be very careful with their words, avoid turtle eggs like the plague, do not enter nightclubs in the dead of night “to drink coffee” or slip into hotel rooms and expose the cringeworthy anatomies. After all, this is the age of the great proliferation of voice recorders and video cameras on handphones.

And one more thing: It’s highly advisable to avoid making promises of cutting one’s finger, of jumping off into rivers or from buildings, walking naked across towns if so and so, or you yourself lose in the election! In the US so many celebrities threatened to leave their country if Trump won the 2016 election, but so far none has done so except for Matt Damon who resettled in Australia but is already regretting it.

There will be a lot of silly acts, reactions, clashes and mud slinging to watch out for. So get your popcorns, sit back and wait for the flares and explosions.