SEREMBAN: Usually a sea of blue, red and green during the election season, the roads here hardly portray a carnival air this time around.
With a week to go to polling day, election flags, banners and bunting remain noticeably “muted” across Jempol, Kuala Pilah and Seri Menanti.
Even in the main streets of the city, the void in political paraphernalia is apparent, with lampposts, utility poles and roundabouts standing almost bare with no layers of party flags, overlapping bunting or towering billboards.
Locals seem to believe that the era of the “poster war” has ended, as modern campaigning is now conducted on screens through algorithm-driven strategies.
State Barisan Nasional chief Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan, however, expects more election material to be put up in the run-up to the polls on Aug 1.
“As far as Barisan is concerned, we started displaying our material several days ago,” he said.
He said the trend of political parties putting up fewer flags, banners and bunting was already evident in the last general election.
“It is a fact that people are now using social media to achieve a wider reach. But having physical flags and related material is a must during an election, as seen even in developed countries,” added Mohamad, who is defending his Rantau seat.
State Pakatan Harapan secretary Cha Kee Chin said political parties were now relying more on social media to reach voters, but said putting up election material was equally important.
He said that with new residential and commercial areas in the constituencies, election workers took more time to cover their areas, citing the Bukit Kepayang constituency as one.
Amanah secretary-general Muhammad Faiz Fadzil said less election material was put up as political parties focused more on social media campaigning.
“But political parties need visibility and need to show passion for election wins,” he said, adding that more flags, bunting and billboards would be put up as polling approached.
Journalists covering the campaign shared that a similar trend was observed during the Johor state election, with parties relying less on traditional campaign material.
A youth putting up party flags in Bahau said campaign workers could erect flags only where permitted.
“We were told there are designated areas for it,” he added.
Candidates have been turning to social media to boost their visibility, with campaign videos, livestreams and online updates becoming a key feature of the election trail.
In Port Dickson, checks showed that party flags were prominently displayed on roads leading to the respective “war rooms”.
Still, the current situation is a far cry from the days when the battle of flags reigned.
Datuk A. Saravanan, one of two Independents contesting the Sri Tanjung seat, has put up billboards in the area.
“We have 12 billboards put up so far, with numerous bunting as well. In total, we have spent about RM30,000, which includes the setup and costs,” he added.
The other candidate in the five-cornered contest is relying on social media instead.
