Flags representing political parties on display at the Jalan Merdeka-Jalan Oya roundabout in Sibu.
SIBU (Dec 14): It is already past midway of the campaign period for the 12th Sarawak election and with polling day set for this Saturday, things are heating up.
Indicating this is the gradual arrival of top political guns from Peninsular Malaysia to drum up support for the candidates of their parties or allies.
The atmosphere at coffeeshops, offices, community parks and even along the street walks is one of excitement and anticipation, as the subjects of most conversations range from the which party can win the election, should one vote for personality or vote for the party, down to the manifestos of the contesting parties.
Talking about predictions, some quarters believe that Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS) has a clear-cut chance of receiving another mandate from the voters, but the more optimistic ones feel that Parti Sarawak Bersatu (PSB) should not be ruled out just as yet as the party appears to be a force to be reckoned with.
“Just judging by the number of flags, posters and billboards put up by the party (PSB) around town and also the huge pages of daily advertisements published on the local dailies, it should give you one clear answer – PSB is here to stay,” said local political observer Alexander Lau.
Once a ‘shining beacon’ for the electorate, Pakatan Harapan (PH) seems to be losing some of its ‘glitter’ following its 22 months helming the Malaysian government after its victory in the 14th general election back in 2018.
The candidates from PH component parties, however, are fighting hard to steer clear of all the negative perceptions, in the hope of at least making some headway in this state election.
Under PH, there are Democratic Action Party (DAP), Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) and Parti Amanah Negara (Amanah).
Impact or no impact, that’s the question
Parti Bumi Kenyalang’s (PBK) quest for independence might not go down well with some people as most of them still think that it is too early to talk about independence, said Lau.
“If you want to talk about independence, you must first focus on self-rule and not let the parties from Peninsular Malaysia dictate your directions at their whims and fancies,” he pointed out, adding that the candidates from Sarawak People’s Aspiration Party (Aspirasi) and Independent candidates are not expected to make any impact.
One glaring miss in this election is the nightly ‘ceramah’ (public talks) which are banned in compliance with the standard operating procedures (SOP) set for the state polls.
It appears that without the ceramah, the biggest losers would be the DAP candidates.
Based on past election campaigns, the DAP’s ceramah were crowd-pulling affairs, with fence-sitters gauging these public talks as a part of their consideration in deciding who to vote for.
Bukit Assek incumbent Irene Chang has admitted that even her constituency, which is amongst DAP’s traditional strongholds in Sarawak, is no longer safe this time round due to the strict SOP which bans ceramah.
“Yes, this is going to be a difficult battle because the circumstances and political situation are very much different today as compared to during the 2016 election.
“The party is very much handicapped in its campaign because of the restrictive SOP, which prohibits public talks that have always been the main medium through which our election messages are being conveyed to the electorate.
“Even if we could get the message across though social media, many people, especially those in the elderly group, are worried about coming out to vote because of Covid-19,” said Chang.
“Moreover, many candidates are vying for Bukit Assek seat which, obviously, would split the opposition votes,” Chang said in expressing her concern.
Her challengers in Bukit Assek are Jess Lau of Aspirasi, Joseph Chieng of GPS, Ting Kee Nguan of PSB, Priscilla Lau of Parti Bumi Kenyalang (PBK), and Independent candidate Hii Tiong Huat.
Other platforms
However, the ban on public gatherings, door-to-door campaigning and walkabouts have given rise to a war of flags, which has turned Sibu into a ‘war zone’ of flags, fishtails, banners and posters.
As the days go by, more and more flags are put out, especially the ones carrying the PSB emblem – at some sites, they seem to overshadow the GPS flags.
This ‘war of flags’ signifies the ascending ferocity of the anticipation towards polling day this Dec 18.
The present campaign period in Sibu also has its share of drama, one of which was pulled by Independent candidate for Bukit Assek, Hii Tiong Huat.
Hii had several times knelt at Sibu Gateway and along the roadside, pleading to the people to vote for him.
He said should he be elected, he would help the people of Sarawak fight for their rights.
Whether he could really achieve that or a vote for him would be a vote wasted, that is for the voters to decide.
With the Covid-19 pandemic still a threat, it is likely that voter turnout on polling day might not be so encouraging.
Plus, political fatigue and apathy could also be additional factors.
It is worthy to note that on Dec 11, for the first time in almost a year, there was only one positive Covid-19 case reported in Sibu District.
Indeed, it was an encouraging sign, but that should not mean that the people can let their guard down.
Back on low voter turnout, there are predictions about it not reaching 60 per cent which, if it does come true, could bring a very negative perception on democracy.
A major problem is many voters believe their ballots make no difference because the representatives, even after the election, can still switch parties.
The belief is that nothing is going to change as long as there are no laws in place to deal with party hopping.
Nonetheless, no matter how weary one is about politics, it remains our responsibility to vote for the political direction of Sarawak for the next five years.
Such direction would have a direct impact on every aspect of our lives, including socio-economy.
We must never ignore the fact that the vote in our hand can be the determining factor in the social and economic situations not only in our lives, but also that of our children’s.
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