Slow burn as campaigning enters second day

HULU SELANGOR: The Kuala Kubu Baharu by-election campaign is seeing a slow start as party workers have yet to be fully active in their efforts to woo voters in the constituency.

As the campaign period entered the second day yesterday, candidates from Pakatan Harapan and Perikatan Nasional kickstarted their walkabouts in public places and attended party events.

Pakatan’s Pang Sock Tao visited several markets and made house visits in Batang Kali.

She also visited a church in Kuala Kubu Baharu.

No ceramah has been held yet from the Pakatan side.

However, Perikatan organised its first ceramah on Saturday night, which was attended by its candidate Khairul Azhari Saut and backed by Selangor Perikatan chairman Datuk Seri Azmin Ali.

Khairul Azhari also went on walkabouts in Batang Kali town and attended several prayer sessions.

Perikatan held three mini ceramah at several villages yesterday. However, candidates from Parti Rakyat Malaysia Hafizah Zainuddin and independent Nyau Ke Xin were nowhere to be seen, so far.

Nyau said she will only start campaigning today while PRM assistant election director Koh Swe Yong said they will set up their operations centre today.

According to Balakong assemblyman Ong Chun Wei, he believes that despite the slowpaced campaigns, discussions at the coffee shops are lively, with many people talking about the candidates after meals.

“Nomination day and Sunday saw people returning home, making it easier for candidates to meet with voters.

“Many shops are closed on Monday and we expect things to be quiet,” he added.

Universiti Teknologi Malaysia’s Razak Faculty Perdana Centre political analyst Dr Mazlan Ali said the sluggish start to campaigning is common in the early stages, adding that the momentum will increase in the second week.

Ilham centre executive director Hisomudin Bakar said the “cold” ground in public reception towards election campaigns has been the norm in the previous by-elections.

He added that campaigning is expected to heat up closer to the May 11 polling day, where political titans will attend the ceramah.

“I’m expecting the mood to be gloomy ... There will be a bit of intensity on the weekend but nothing extraordinary will happen during the rest of the campaign,” he said.

Perikatan Youth information chief Khairul Nadzir Helmi Azhar, however, said there is a “harmonious” atmosphere, given the lack of controversies in the campaign by the parties.

“We found that locals here are very polite. The campaign isn’t slow – it is smooth,” he said.

He believed that the relatively calm campaigning period is probably due to the ongoing Hari Raya Aidilfitri mood among locals.

“People are not so focused on politics as they are spending time with their families,” he said.

He expected things to heat up at the end of the first week of campaigning, as Perikatan is set to organise huge events, among which is a mega ceramah on May 4 featuring the four Mentris Besar from Perikatan.

“We will arrange a stage for the four Mentris Besar of Perikatan from Perlis, Terengganu, Kelantan and Kedah,” he added.

DAP deputy chairman Gobind Singh Deo said Pakatan will not change its election strategy due to the four-cornered contest.

“There are different kinds of problems in every constituency. We have elected representatives to look into those problems to try and solve them,” he added.