Street fights add punch to polls

Flags to stay: Despite the Internet’s pervasiveness, live campaign events and physical media such as flags, banners and posters still give a strong sense of a party’s presence in an area.

IT was another general election several years ago. As I was walking down the street – it was in Brickfields, Kuala Lumpur, I think – a woman accosted me.

“Sir, what do you think about all these flags and bunting being put up all over the place?” she asked. “Is it a nuisance, a waste of money when we have the Internet, and does it add to the traffic jams all over?”