GEORGE TOWN: With 24 hours to go before polling stations open, predicting the winners of the state election is getting harder than ever. It’s just too close to call, especially in the Malay-majority areas on the Penang mainland.
Both Pakatan Harapan-Barisan Nasional and Perikatan Nasional coalitions seem to ooze confidence, based on the reception they have got on the ground. The question, however, is how this will be translated into votes.
Despite the show of confidence, all candidates have experienced an unnerving phenomenon – the tepid response at most ceramah.
Rows of vacant chairs are a common sight, except for sessions that included super heavyweights like Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim and Tan Sri Abdul Hadi Awang.
Even when PAS held mini ceramah in the kampung – with only about 50 chairs prepared – few villagers bothered to step out and listen. This lack of interest in ceramah has been seen in states like Selangor too, with political observers blaming voter fatigue. Most voters have already had their fill of politics in last November’s general election, and those who care are reading about it online.
An interesting development in PAS’ campaigning style is the candidates’ disdain for the media. Many journalists were stonewalled when they tried to contact PAS or Bersatu candidates for interviews or even to get their timetables for ceramah and walkabouts.“They just ignore our texts. We have to go looking for them,” muttered a senior photojournalist as he tried to track down Perikatan candidates on the campaign trail.
By and large though, the Penang campaign has been clean with little public mud-slinging tactics. Nearly all focused on explaining their campaign manifestos to voters.Even David Marshel and M. Satees, the ex-DAP men contesting as Independents after they were left out of the candidates’ list, quit complaining publicly about their former party and instead spent days explaining to voters the advantages of choosing them.A spot of wry humour came from a female voter who was approached by Sungai Puyu’s Perikatan candidate Andrew Teoh Chin Siang in Butterworth’s Sri Uda market.
Teoh approached her to seek her support and she replied, “I am worried that if I vote for you, I would not be allowed to wear shorts.” (The woman was alluding to strictly enforced public dress codes in Kelantan and Terengganu.)Teoh immediately replied that she need not worry because he was a Buddhist contesting under the PAS banner.
He is a member of the Dewan Himpunan Penyokong PAS (PAS Supporters Assembly), which is an offshoot of PAS for non-Muslims.Despite the snub, Teoh maintained a strong front and told reporters that he found voters in Sungai Puyu to be receptive.
Umno, meanwhile, appears confident about winning three of the six seats it is contesting despite Perikatan’s onslaught. The three seats are Bertam, Sungai Acheh and Teluk Bahang. However, party sources admitted that they would face a tough time in the “grey” seats of Penaga, Permatang Berangan and Sungai Dua.
Umno heavyweight Datuk Seri Reezal Merican Naina Merican, who is contesting in Bertam, said DAP was aggressive in helping to woo the non-Malay votes.
“We can see that DAP does not want to form the government alone and wants Umno in the unity government framework.
“They need good political partners that carry the aspiration of the Malays, like Umno. I believe that Malays want to see Umno play an effective role within the state government after years of being outside,” Reezal Merican said.On the island, Pakatan looks set to keep practically all 19 seats except three Malay-majority seats – Pulau Betong, Bayan Lepas and Batu Maung – where Perikatan has been toiling hard to woo voters. These three seats can go either way, and political observers expect the winning margins to be in a few hundreds.
One keenly watched constituency is Bayan Lepas, where Perikatan’s Datuk Dr Dominic Lau is facing Pakatan’s incumbent Azrul Mahathir Aziz from Amanah.Lau, the Gerakan president, has been on the back foot since nomination day. Based on sentiments on the ground, it looks like Penang will not see Chinese Opposition members in the state assembly for the fourth consecutive term.
