HISTORIC GE13: I would vote for PR even if my dad was still in BN - Kee Kwong's daughter

UPDATED WITH VIDEOS WANGSA MAJU - With Malaysia's most anticipated general election just a day away, politicians from all sides of the divide are scrambling to have one last pitch with their voters.

It was no different with PKR senior leader Tan Kee Kwong, who will be contesting one of the 'hot seats' that some analysts believe can go either way on May 5. Wangsa Maju, a thriving suburb, is also eyed by Umno's Shafei Abdullah, the political secretary to Prime Minister Najib Razak.

With just "hours" left to go before balloting begins on Sunday, Kee Kwong and his family braved the heavy thunderstorm to have one last walkabout at the Taman Melati 'pasar malam' (night market) on Friday.

Although they were forced by the inclement weather to stay within the compound of their service center and guest-of-honor Nurul Izzah, the Lembah Pantai MP, had to cancel, they still managed to have a good time eating 'bubur' and chatting with the residents who came.

'Even with the cheating, Pakatan can win'

Kee Kwong, a former deputy minister and 3-term Segambut MP who joined the Opposition in 2008, remains modest about his chances although many pundits have rated him as having the strongest potential to win the parliamentary seat.

"I just talked to a government  officer, a current serving officer, and this is his comment, 'sure lah doc, you are going to get two-thirds majority'. I said 'what'.. but the popular indication from all sources is that even with the cheating, we are going to form the Putrajaya government, even with the cheating. There are many reasons including Felda. People are fed up. If you talk to the businessmen, their No.1 target is MCA. They want to kick out MCA, these are Chinese businessmen talking, not Dr Tan. So MCA kena kau-kau (will get hit badly). Then comes Umno. People say Umno sure win. I say brother, if the prediction is correct they will sure win, they would have held elections last year if they sure win. Why tungu tunggu tunggu (wait, wait and wait)," Kee Kwong said in a brief speech to welcome

"When we enter the battle field, we want to win and win handsomely. Why? Because the Umno-BN candiddate is very arrogant. This is what many others say. And in a recent interview with a blog site, the blog site asked me for my comment (because) Shafei said this Sunday when the ballot boxes are opened, and when the popular vote is counted, Dr Tan will only get 10% of the votes cast. So let us see, who is going to get 10%? Who wins is up to the voter, if you want me to make prediction, my only comment is that, not just here but also in Sabah and Sarawalk, if there are free and fair elections, definitely we will go to Putrajaya."

I would vote for Pakatan even if my dad was still in BN!

His daughter, Su Mei who took leave from her university in Turin, where she is studying for her Masters, to vote on Sunday was more aggressive in her views.

At 26, she displays all the traits of the articulate and well-educated Generation Y which Prime Minister Najib Razak's Umno-BN coalition has not only failed to engage but alienated with their heavy-handed tactics and corruption-tainted scandals..

"I feel very hopeful for Sunday, everyone is in the mood for this election. This is the time we are closest to taking over the government. This is why I came back to cast my vote, also to support my father at Wangsa Maju where he is standing," Su Mei told Malaysia Chronicle in a brief interview.

"I have one other friend who flew back home to vote and also many of my friends are flying to respective kampongs(villages), so if they are working in KL they are flying to Penang, to Sabah to vote especially."

When asked if she felt that the country's 13th general election was special compared to previous ballots, she pointed to the greater presence of young voters - a factor that may well scupper the Umno-BN's chances and help Opposition Leader Anwar Ibrahim power the Pakatan Rakyat to a historic win.

"I wasn't here for the last election but I definitely feel a lot more youth participation for this election, like among my friends we are definitely more involved. We are more attuned as to what is happening in the government, so many Facebook posts concerning all the dirty tactics that the government has been playing. And just by turning up Facebook, you can see so many things about the election and Twitter. It's really refreshing to see young people taking an interest into local politics, the local scene and what's happening to our country," said the 26-year-old, who loves sports including swimming and basketball.

It is all the more ominous for the Najib administration when Su Mei said she would vote for Pakatan even if her father - a former Gerakan leader - was still in the BN.

"Obviously, that is very hard to say. My father was not always Pakatan he used to be BN and before that although I was younger I can definitely see a change in himself, that when he was in BN, he was a lot more dormant whereas when he is with Pakatan, it is just like a fire within him and I can see that a lot among my friends as well and I would say I would be pro-Pakatan even if my father was still with BN especially in this coming election," she said.

Come out early, be patient: Happy Voting!

Like many contestants, Kee Kwong will close down his campaigning tomorrow to allow time for his 'jentera' or election machinery to run their drills for the big day. According to Election Commission rules, all campaigning must completely cease after midnight Saturday.

Kee Kwong's wife, Datin Anne, who has gone through several general elections had tips to share with voters.

"Do come out early, come out early. If election starts at 8, come out at 7am. And also vote with your heart and if you want a change in the government, go for it. Don't worry about the rumors whether there will be chaos or not. There is nothing to fear. Be patient, don't be discouraged and hang in there until the process is completed," said Datin Anne.

"So happy voting and just to let you know a secret. I was not a very political person, I was totally immersed in work but when I got married to my husband, for the firs time I registered to vote. Quite an embarrassing situation (but) since then I have become more interested in the affairs of the country."

Malaysia Chronicle