Will a political earthquake rock Malaysia on May 9?

If I am given just one sentence to summarise what I see of this coming general election which falls on Wednesday, May 9, this would be it:

“Since following the political development in the country in 2008, I have never seen such levels of activism amongst an otherwise apathetic Malaysian population, and I see that in all who are vocal or silent, the desire to see Umno and BN removed from Putrajaya.”

As a nation, we are like a pregnant woman who is suffering labour pains, waiting for the birth of a new nation under a new government.

I can confidently say this of most Malaysians who are fully aware of the impact that the goods and service tax (GST) is having on our cost of living.

This is the result of the 1MDB scandal, which has partly led to huge federal debts. The removal of subsidies and the fall of the ringgit at the same time have also contributed to our current state, in which everyone is trying to tighten their belts.

It looks like after three years since the implementation of the GST, we are now seeing its full impact. The GST has not caused the prices of goods and services to be reduced; instead, prices of goods and services have skyrocketed in the three years since April 1, 2015.

This is what I had predicted, when I decided to participate in the anti-GST demonstration in 2015, and noticed that it mainly attracted Malays.

At that time, the middle-income Chinese Malaysians had not felt the impact of the GST yet, but I told myself quietly, let the GST have a full cycle before people experience its impact. This has become a reality and now a nightmare for BN.

It is too late even if Najib were to announce on the eve of the general election that he would abolish the GST, as the people’s sentiments can be summed up with just one word: Angry!

They are not only interested in abolishing the GST. They are in the mood to catch the people responsible for the mother of scandals exposed by the investigations conducted in eight countries around the world.

A political earthquake

In an interview in which I talked to former Bersih co-chairperson, Ambiga Sreenevasan, I agreed with her that the sentiments of the people are now many times more than that prior to the 13th general election. If I may use the term that I coined several years ago,  a “political earthquake” in Malaysia is forming which will rock this nation. It will hit the places in the “interiors” which were not affected by the political tsunami of 2008.

I have been following PKR parliamentary candidate for Selayang, William Leong on his campaign trail since nomination day. While on the trail, I could see that the sentiments of the people are high, not only amongst the Chinese and the Indians, but also amongst the Malays.

Elsewhere, you can also see from the pictures in Malaysiakini that thousands of people have come out to listen to the Harapan ceramah, not forgetting people like me who still prefer to watch them “live” on the Internet.

The turnout at Harapan’s Putrajaya ceramah (photo), for example, has apparently caused enough jitters for caretaker prime minister Najib Abdul Razak to accuse Harapan of bussing people in from outside Putrajaya to listen to his former mentor and now arch-rival, Pakatan Harapan chairperson Dr Mahathir Mohamad. I did not have to go to Putrajaya, but I was watching it “live” until very late at night.

I had earlier predicted that Mahathir’s influence would be a big factor in the Harapan equation, but I, too underestimated the power of his influence. It is a lot more than what you and I can imagine.

I am not surprised therefore that, closer to D-Day, more Umno veterans who still have a conscience and care about the country’s future will come forward to campaign for a change of government in Putrajaya. Everyone now cares enough to be counted in and try to make a difference in the history of this nation.

On the ground, even when there is a quarrel between leaders in Harapan, they are prepared to set aside the differences so that everyone can focus on removing BN from Putrajaya.

Even in temples, people are doing all sorts of "prayers" and chanting that demonstrate their frustrations. The sentiments of the people should be felt by leaders by now.

From all over the country, individuals have stood forward to even express their disenchantment with Najib and the BN Government. These short video clips have gone viral.

When three residents in Taman Tun Dr Ismail were arrested for removing BN flags that had been put up before nomination day, it made more people angry with the BN regime.

The Anti-Fake News Law may be used against Umno leaders who spread rumours that if Harapan comes into power, they would appoint DAP veteran Lim Kit Siang as prime minister. What nonsense is this! They think Malaysians are stupid.

I quote Mahathir: “My reading is that we will win hands down…” I cannot agree more with his observations.

The people have long awaited the birth of a new nation and the removal of Najib as prime minister and the entire BN government from Putrajaya. But, will we see this materialising?

Whether there will be a full voter turnout on May depends on every single and eligible Malaysian voter. If we all come out to vote on May 9, this will be a new record for all Malaysians which will be remembered for many years to come.   

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STEPHEN NG is an ordinary citizen with an avid interest in following political developments in the country since 2008. - Mkini