Much ado about nothing much… in Kuala Terengganu
The locals seem almost nonchalant about the whole affair. Except for the heavy presence of the police stationed at every intersection throughout the parliamentary constituency, things don't look particularly different.
By Debra Chong, The Malaysian Insider
A half-full hall greeted the Prime Minister on his lightning visit here yesterday to brief electoral workers on the government's campaign in the Kuala Terengganu by-election.
It got worse.
When the press got up to leave Datuk Seri Abdullah Badawi to his hush-hush meeting, the room was practically empty.
The Barisan Nasional (BN) campaign is not the only one affected.
A couple of nights before that, Abdul Wahid Endut, the Pakatan Rakyat (PR) candidate, was left addressing an empty car park while on his ceramah rounds.
There has been a distinct lack of energy among campaigners in what has been publicly spun as the make-or-break by-election for Malaysia.
The listlessness among the campaigners seems to stem from the selected candidates themselves.
Datuk Wan Farid Wan Salleh from the BN has been pegged as Idris Jusoh's man.
Idris is the man in the middle of the Terengganu Umno leadership crisis with the state ruler last year, which eventually saw a relative unknown, Datuk Ahmad Said, promoted to be the new Menteri Besar.
The crisis may have been resolved, but there is still high tension between the two factions.
The Prime Minister addressing a half-empty hall when he went to brief campaign workers in KT. – Picture by Choo Choy May
Ahmad and his men have not forgiven Idris nor the latter's side for the mess. While they have not actively sabotaged Wan Farid's campaign, they have not given the candidate due co-operation either.
Quite clearly, they are more focused on shoring up support for their own positions within the party at its next elections in March.
Even Abdullah, the head of Umno and the BN, has openly admitted to the in-fighting at state level, which may have damaged Wan Farid's and the BN's chances of winning this seat irrevocably.
For PR's Pas, it is a similar story.
The Islamist party is equally split down the middle between its top two leaders, which forced them both to compromise on the candidate for this by-election, with neither gaining any satisfaction from it.
Spiritual Advisor Datuk Nik Aziz Nik Mat backs the Erdogan faction which is pro-Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim; and party president Datuk Seri Hadi Awang backs the conservatives.
There are still rumblings from the grassroots who believe the party would have been better if its leaders had chosen either the Erdogan faction's preferred nominee Mohammad "Mat" Sabu; or Mustafa Ali, the state party chief who is popular with the conservatives.
But it is not only the dispiritedness among the campaigners that is behind the lack of excitement on the ground.
It has been three days since the nomination of the candidates and the pace in Kuala Terengganu has yet to pick up speed.
The locals seem almost nonchalant about the whole affair. Except for the heavy presence of the police stationed at every intersection throughout the parliamentary constituency, things don't look particularly different.
Few eateries open till late at night. Most Malay restaurateurs close shop at 6pm while their Chinese counterparts draw their shutters around 10pm.
Attendance at the PR ceramah by Abdul Wahid Endut was also dismal. – Picture by Choo Choy May
Fewer still are frequented by locals who want to gossip about how close the fight will be into the wee hours of the morning.
Most prefer to catch a good night's sleep before they continue the daily grind of earning a living. Some told The Malaysian Insider that they are asleep by 9pm.
Most of the late-night clientele are made up of the press working late, or the campaign workers and police personnel getting off their shift duties.
It is business as usual in Kuala Terengganu.
Some of the locals say they are too busy working to attend any of the daily functions organised by the BN and the PR.
Others give the excuse that they are intimidated by the police who seem to be everywhere they turn their heads.
"Why are there so many police here? What have we done? Takutlah. Better I stay at home," said one elderly Malay woman.
But several voters from the local Chinese community who form some 11 per cent of the population told The Malaysian Insider they have already made up their minds who they will vote for next week.
"I already know who to pangkah. Why so susah go out?" said one retiree who declined to give his name.
