PRK Rantau: Mahathir did not come to campaign
Another Brick in the Wall
The outcome for the Rantau by-election has too many uncertainty and no side could claim to be able to wrap up the voters.
After campaigning ended midnight last night and so does the message, dirt dig up, and psywar, it now comes down to “transport” to get their white voters out and how the game of numbers turns out.
Whatever the outcome, the absence of Tun Dr Mahathir from campaigning is of interest.
Words in Rantau he was to appear at the grand final campaign last night with Dato Seri Anwar Ibrahim, but he announced not attending yesterday’s late afternoon.
Even without him, the crowd of 1,000 was a credible attendance. It could not match the number at BN’s grand final with PAS the night before and mostly locals. However, unlike the usually high number of import at PKR campaign rally, this time there were 50% local attending.
It could be indication PKR managed to eat into the overwhelming Malay support for BN’s Dato Mohamed Hasan or his affectionately called by local as Tok Mat.
Mahathir’s presence could have made it better. But why did he not attend?
Will his presence be bad luck as his presence ended into two losses at Cameron Highlands and Semenyih? Or Mahathir did not want PKR to win to return back the PKR “sabotage” at Semenyih?
The preference of the locals is for incumbent Tok Mat, but he is no more MB and BN is no more the state and federal government. The voters’ appetite could change accordingly for this rural area in the peripheral of today’s expanded urban Seremban.
The majority of almost 55% Malays will remain with Tok Mat, but PKR’s aim is to take away some Malay votes away. If they manage to swing 10-15%, Mat Hasan could lose. So will his stint at national level politics. It will hasten Dato Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi’s return.
The Chinese is less than 20% and if the trend of 40% not turn up to vote as in Semenyih, it could spell trouble for PKR. DAP have been actively doing house to house campaign. So did MCA, whose been working very hard.
The outside voters may not return and usually have their own mind. They are not happy with the state of the non-stop declining economy. No ECRL announcement and the re-route through Jelebu will appease them.
Streram have not been saying the right thing in public. Even the personal attack on alleged money laundering and not so relevant home, could dent Mat Hasan. In fact, UMNO’s response was to expose replay with their own expose of Streram, London homes of Azmin and swimming pooled home of Streram.
Suspiciously, the Doktor Rakyat is no angel as Doktor Umum. The reverse psychology with the “Jangan Undi Keling” banner by PKR was signs of desperatate campaign to locals’ eyes as much as it is intensified campaign.
Just two nights ago, PKR campaign workers told a reporter friend that Mat Hasan still has the slight edge, thus they are focusing on the easier to sway Indian voters,
So the need for PKR to viral Kulasegaran’s racially upfront and seditous campaign. Typical of DAP, when cover blown, use legal threat to douse the fire.
With Tommy Thomas as Attorney General, DAP can get away with corruption and murder.
But, such is politics. If playing the race card is what it takes for DAP to help Dato Seri Anwar Ibrahim, they have no problem in using. Their concern against so-called bigotry of UMNO-PAS cooperation is just a empty political rhetorics.
Just yesterday, an MIC campaign worker claimed out of 25% Indian voters, 15% is for Tok Mat. In this enclave of estates and abundance of Hindu temples, Tok Mat is well accepted by the Indians.
But this is an election and Indians may want to have their own to represent Rantau in the state assembly.
