Cold ground ahead of polls

THESE days, the Prime Minister is hardly able to turn a corner without someone asking the “election question”.

Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob has been doing the tango with the media, dropping lots of hints without confirming anything.

But the top Umno leadership appears to have nailed him down to a more concrete position going by the outcome of the party supreme council meeting on Friday (Sept 30) night and the indications are that it will be very soon.

The guessing game has been going on too long, political parties have been in a state of preparedness yet the ordinary people do not seem to care whether the general election will be soon or later.

“The ground is quite cold, the energy is not there. Even (Datuk Seri Najib Razak) going to jail did not bring the wave that we expected.

“The election is supposedly so near but people don’t seem bothered,” said PKR politician Farhash Wafa Salvador.

The chattering class talks about politics in the kopitiam and cafes, they are up-to-date on issues and scandals and they poke fun at politicians on social media.

But there is no mass movement like what we saw in the run-up to the 2018 general election. Instead there is a general state of disinterest.

The naval ships scandal was a hot talking point but it could not stir up the electorate compared to previous issues such as 1MDB, GST or the extravagant lifestyles of Najib and his wife.

The current situation is so different from the last general election when the mood for change was palpable a year before the election was called.

“Politics has been disappointing. No single coalition has been able to recreate the mood of 2018. You could feel it wherever you went but it’s not the same now.

“There was some excitement when Rafizi Ramli returned to politics as PKR deputy president. It has died down but Rafizi is still the hope for those supporting Pakatan Harapan, he represents multi-racial politics,” said a retired doctor from Penang.

Why is the ground still cold with a general election around the corner and opportunity looms to decide on the next government?

For a start, said former politician Dr Thor Teong Ghee, the people’s priorities have changed.

“We are trying to reboot our lives and livelihood after the pandemic, family and personal interests come first. The fact that many people are still wearing masks shows they are still worried about Covid-19.

“Politics has become less essential compared to getting our lives back on track. You can see that from the thin turnout at political ceramah,” he said.

Dr Thor, who is the CEO at a charity healthcare centre in Penang, said feelings in 2018 were so intense that friends would quarrel and even exit chatgroups over politics.

Now they exchange jokes and memes about politicians.

Chinese political parties are famous for their “qian ren yan” or 1,000-people dinners to raise funds. These gatherings are often less about raising funds than about assessing and reading support and enthusiasm.

They are able to sell tables and fill the chairs, but the collection boxes have not yielded as much as before.

The fire is simply not there for one side to bring down the other.

Dr Thor was at a recent luncheon with a medical group when those at the table began talking about Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamd’s aspiration for another go at the top job.

“Does he not know that we feel betrayed. He brought down a 60-year-old regime in one night on 509 (election day on May 9) but he collapsed the new government within 22 months,” said Dr Thor.

The quiet ground, according to Kedah Chinese Assembly Hall president Datuk Cheng Lai Hock, suggests that many have decided on their political choices and do not feel the need to make a song and dance about it.

“Many people are fed-up. Voter turnout will not be like in 2018 but the first-time young voters could surprise us,” he said.

Corruption will always be a key issue but this election will hinge on whichever side is able to deliver political stability and move the economy.

“There is no more dream to sell. People have grown so cynical about politics and I would not over-estimate the impact of young voters.

“Their past-time is not political issues, that’s why celebrities have a bigger following than politicians,” said Farhash.

The 2018 general election was driven by anger, the same powerful emotion that has propelled political change all over the world. It makes people come out to vote even when there is thunder and lightning in the sky.

The anger has subsided, in its place are doubts and distrust of politics.

But there is still time to fire up the hearts and minds of voters.

The mood often changes after Parliament is dissolved and people are able to identify the parties, candidates and seats where they are contesting.

The temperature will go up, the ground will get noisier but it will not be like in 2018.

> The views expressed here are the writer’s own.