In every corner: Some of the flags and posters put up around the Mahkota constituency for the by-election in Kluang, Johor. — THOMAS YONG/The Star
KLUANG: Campaigning for the Mahkota by-election will go full throttle this weekend with political bigwigs using the final week to woo voters.
Barisan Nasional chairman and Umno president Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi has been making his presence felt even before the start of campaigning last Saturday, coming here at least four times.
He is expected to give further boosts to Barisan candidate Syed Hussien Syed Abdullah this weekend.
Other Barisan leaders – such as Umno deputy president Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan, MCA president Datuk Seri Dr Wee Ka Siong and MIC vice-president Datuk M. Asojan – have also been active on the campaign trail.
Pakatan Harapan, Barisan’s ally in the unity government, has also been providing support with Wanita DAP chief Teo Nie Ching, Amanah deputy president Datuk Seri Mujahid Yusof Rawa and Pakatan secretary-general Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail of PKR all expected to drive things up a notch this weekend.
Over at the other end, Perikatan Nasional chairman and Bersatu president Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin is said to have a packed schedule this weekend with all-round campaigning.
Perikatan information chief Datuk Seri Azmin Ali and PAS vice-president Datuk Seri Idris Ahmad have been seen in Mahkota since Wednesday and are expected to still be in town for the weekend.
Despite not having any impact on the composition of the state government, with Barisan and Pakatan holding 39 and 12 seats respectively in the 56-seat state assembly, temperatures are extra high here with both sides wanting to prove a point.
Syed Hussien, 40, the Kluang Umno Youth chief, is in a straight fight with Kluang Bersatu committee member Mohamad Haizan Jaafar.
Johor Mentri Besar Datuk Onn Hafiz Ghazi, who is Johor Umno chief, has been in the forefront with other top names.
On the other hand, there has been an absence of many political leaders from Perikatan so far, leading to speculation of disunity within the Opposition ranks and PAS being accused of boycotting Mohamad Haizan, 61.
Mohamad Haizan and Azmin have denied these allegations, saying that hundreds of PAS members are helping the Opposition machinery.
They said this was despite the Islamist party being tied up with its annual assembly in Pahang on Sept 14, which was incidentally nomination day.
The pace has picked up since the end of last week, with more Perikatan leaders beginning to join the fray.
Universiti Teknologi Malaysia political analyst Dr Mazlan Ali said Perikatan should be more concerned about whether outstation voters would return on polling day.
“Umno has a very strong base in Mahkota, and the boost from DAP and MCA has helped in the campaign with over 30% of the voters being Chinese.
“For now, it seems that it will not really matter if outstation voters go to the polls,” he added.
Convincing outstation voters to return is a challenging task for both sides.
Many locals said their children or extended family members who are based elsewhere have already decided that they will not be coming back to vote.
One of the reasons is that most Chinese living away from Kluang already returned home earlier this week to celebrate the Mooncake Festival.
“My son who is working in Singapore and my sisters in Johor Baru and Kuala Lumpur came back this week. They do not see the point of making another trip back to Kluang just a week later for this election,” said a 67-year-old businessman who only wanted to be known as Tan.
Meanwhile, Johor Umno Youth chief Noor Azleen Ambros described the Mahkota by-election as a “mid-term review” of the state government.
“Although this election will not change the composition of the state government, this will serve as a yardstick on whether the people are happy with the state government,” said Azleen, who is also Syed Hussien’s campaign manager.
Bersatu’s head of the associate members wing Dr Chong Fat Full said the by-election would be a chance for voters to send a message to the state government on the state of affairs concerning the economy and inflation.
Another important group of voters both candidates are vying for is the youth, who make up over 50% of Mahkota’s voters.
“They make up a very significant percentage of the electorate and could be the ones to decide the outcome. We saw in the last general election a significant number of votes that Perikatan received were from young people,” said Mazlan.
An estimated 53% of Mahkota constituents are youths – with 48% aged between 21 and 40, and 5% between 21 and 18.
Mahkota is classified as a mixed seat, where about 56% of its constituents are Malays, 34% Chinese, 8% Indians and the remaining 2% made up of people from other races.
