Independent, local candidates no longer appeal to voters — study
KUALA LUMPUR: A study by the Centre for Governance and Political Studies (CentGPS) showed how insignificant independent candidates have become.
CentGPS’ study on the recent Port Dickson by-election showed a compounding factor affecting independent candidates where voters no longer see local candidates as an important prerequisite.
The study showed how the independent candidates’ campaign trails never really took off and suggested the lack of a political party platform severely hindered their chances.
It said the general response among voters was encouraging towards the independents as they offered a choice for the people of Port Dickson to express their frustrations in having to partake in a byelection.
“Perhaps it was the lack of a platform, or the ground mobilisation, but many of our respondents also expressed that they did not quite know what candidates such as Lau Seck Yan and Kan Chee Yuen would bring.
“Clearly here, we can recognise that party politics is still the mainframe of influence and show of strength and work,” read the report, adding all independent candidates eventually lost their deposits.
“Party-based politics remains as a determinant factor in this new Malaysia,” it said.
Another damning factor was how voters did not see the importance in electing a local candidate, with the report claiming that many voters noted they did not mind an outsider candidate, as long as they contributed to the constituency.
“Another subject was more encouraged by outsider candidates because, and we paraphrase, the candidates from PD would have interests of sharing the projects with “friends and family,” it said.
Former Negri Sembilan Menteri Besar and Umno member Tan Sri Mohd Isa Samad, the only candidate who voted last weekend, still lost his deposit after securing only 9.7 per cent of the votes.
“A whopping 73 per cent of our subjects recorded that the least of their concern is if the candidate was from Port Dickson or otherwise,” the report said.