Undecided candidates?
(Sin Chew Daily) – Candidate selection has always been a problem for the ruling and opposition parties in election. The situation in the BN, however, is more complicated than Pakatan Rakyat, particularly the BN is adopting the strategy of fielding only candidates with high winning odds this time.
It is puzzling that the BN has started from a relatively easier task, namely vote canvassing, and leaves the thorny problem of candidate selection until the last minute. Deciding the candidates first can at least leave room for remedy if they receive strong rebound from local members or an outbreak of factional problem. However, deciding the candidates only when it is close to the nomination day will leave no space to save the situation once there is an error.
Finalising the candidate list earlier also allows them to start the election campaign earlier, instead of leaving component party leaders and their grassroots to keep guessing.
It is unusual this time. BN leaders Datuk Seri Najib Razak and Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin have respectively met retired civil servants and education practitioners on Monday. Najib had also visited Perak on Tuesday. The previous practice was, BN chairman would call for a meeting with component party leaders to decide on candidates once the Parliament was dissolved.
Uncertainty is detrimental for the BN. For instance, it was widely rumoured that the People’s Progressive Party (PPP) leader M. Kayveas, instead of a Gerakan member, would contest for the Kepong parliamentary seat. In this case, Kepong Gerakan would stop canvassing for the candidate.
Similar situation takes place in Gerakan’s Kota Alam Shah (Selangor) and Jalong (Perak) state seats, as well as MCA’s Kuantan (Pahang), Wangsa Maju (Wilayah Persekutuan) and Gelang Patah (Johor) parliamentary seats, and Kota Laksamana (Malacca) and Tronoh (Perak) state seats.
It is chaotic in Bandar Tun Razak even before the election. Banners opposing MCA’s Datuk Seri Tan Chai Ho and his son can be seen in that area as the candidate has not yet been decided. The DAP has decided to field Liew Chin Tong to contest for the Kluang parliamentary seat, while there is no official announcement yet from the MCA on whether to field Datuk Dr Hou Kok Chung or Gan Ping Sieu.
If undercurrent within the party is not subsided as soon as possible, dissatisfaction emotions would be brewed and spread. It could then lead to an obstacle and thus, it is necessary to immediately pacify and appease them. The BN has not done enough in this part.
Of course, Pakatan Rakyat also faces the candidate selection problem, particularly in the front-line state of Johor.
After missing for 18 days and claimed he was homeless, Johor PKR chairman Chua Jui Ming returned and was named the PKR candidate for the Segamat parliamentary seat. And now, it is Johor DAP’s turn to be unhappy. State DAP deputy chairman Norman Fernandez lashed out at secretary-general Lim Guan Eng and demanded him to explain to party members in Segamat, while describing the surrender of the Segamat parliamentary seat to PKR as an “act of betrayal and treachery”.
It was reported that Johor DAP candidate selection panel chairman Dr Boo Cheng Hau has quit, along with Norman Fernandez and Tan Chen Choon. Sources said that they were unhappy when state DAP youth chief Tan Hong Ping was fielded by party central leadership to contest in Mengkibol state constituency.
In addition, Johor PKR is facing a problem, too. For example, the grassroots are not happy with Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim’s decision to field former army chief Jen Tan Sri Md Hashim Hussein to contest for the Johor Bahru parliamentary seat.
However, there is still time to calm down and Pakatan Rakyat’s candidates for Johor state seats have gradually unveiled, while the BN’s candidate list is still undecided.
If the nomination day really falls on 20 April, the BN would then have only 10 more days to finalise its candidate list. In politics, one day could be one year. It is a misstep of the BN.
