‘Brand Najib’ targets undecided voters
(ST) – HE IS everywhere. Billboards and huge posters of Datuk Seri Najib Razak have gone up at flyovers, highways and lamp posts across Malaysia as he becomes the biggest campaigner for his ruling Barisan Nasional in the country’s tightest election.
In reality, the winning party or coalition will choose the prime minister.
“Vote for the Prime Minister!” exclaims one poster, depicting an X marked beside the BN logo – a weighing scale.
Another billboard tells the country’s 13.3 million voters that a vote for BN is a vote for Mr Najib, while other billboards give details of the initiatives he has carried out since he became Prime Minister in 2009. They include upgrading of infrastructure, cash handouts and other forms of aid.
“We respect the sanctity of the Constitution, not destroy it with confusion,” says yet another billboard featuring Mr Najib’s photo, as it takes a dig at the opposition Pakatan Rakyat.
“Brand Najib” has become a defining feature of this closely fought election as the Prime Minister seeks to shore up support for BN, its image tarred by mismanagement and corruption scandals.
It is aimed at winning over fence-sitters who like Mr Najib’s leadership style but are hesitant about voting for BN, which has been in power for nearly six decades and is hoping to win its 13th general election on Sunday.
Mr Najib is far more popular than BN. The latest survey by the independent Merdeka Centre in February showed overall support for BN at 45 per cent, and support highest among Malays at 60 per cent, Indians at 52 per cent and Chinese, 16 per cent.
The Prime Minister’s personal approval rating is much higher, at 61 per cent overall in the same survey. The level of satisfaction was the highest among Indians at 75 per cent; Malays, 73 per cent; and Chinese, 34 per cent.
