Sweet victory for Najib’s charm offensive
By Zainal Epi, Free Malaysia Today
KUALA KUBU BARU: Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak led BN to a convincing victory in the crucial Hulu Selangor by-election deemed as a referendum on his government.
His presence in the sprawling constituency the last three days before polling gave the BN election machinery a badly-needed boost after the party was trailing PKR in the early rounds of the campaign.
Najib waded into the crowd and his personal charm and PR skills won them over. This is the first by-election where the prime minister led the charge.
The victory meant that Najib has regained the trust and confidence of the Malays, Chinese and Indians.
Najib had practically “camped” himself in the constituency, and went on his walkabout to hear the grouses and problems of the local people.
He showed his mettle when he led MCA leaders into Chinese areas where MCA campaigners had been “blocked” from entering. He convinced the largely sceptical voters of the sincerity of his government to help all races in line with his 1Malaysia concept.
At first, it was a downhill fight for BN when PKR went on the attack targeting local and federal issues.
