An election with lots of ripples but no wave

THE fire has been lit, but it is not hot and the pot is not boiling.

That sort of sums up the campaign mood for the most fiercely contested general election ever.

The atmosphere has been subdued, too quiet and completely different from the previous general election.

A businessman from Penang said he is still unable to feel the election mood while in Seremban, an election worker said it was the “coldest election” he had even seen.

The weather is a deterrent and people are probably at home, watching what is happening on their mobile phones and computers.

The crowds are gradually getting bigger especially at Pakatan Harapan ceramah that feature big names.

However, citizens’ videos of politicians speaking to empty chairs and the still night air have drawn more oohs and ahs than that of well-attended gatherings.

The ceramah scene has been a stunning contrast to the jam-packed rallies of 2018.

Even the appearance of DAP ally Dr Hew Kuan Yau, better known as Superman, in Tanah Rata on Friday night failed to bring people out in droves.

The above Penang businessman who lives in Bayan Baru said the wet market near his house had been like a “live TV station” in the last general election.

Traders could be heard commenting about “GST, “Najib, and “Rosmah”. They ignored Barisan Nasional campaigners, refused to shake their hands and would passed snide remarks.

It is an everyday market atmosphere this time around and nobody seems interested in political chatter.

Wherever one goes, one does not encounter people volunteering opinions of what they have heard or think or who they support.

Surveys of voting sentiments have started to appear and most of it seems to point to a hung Parliament with no single coalition able to amass the seats needed to cross the finishing line.

It does look like this election is not about people electing who they trust and believe in but who they dislike less.

All three main coalitions have their own set of liabilities. One is seen as having betrayed the people’s mandate, another has leaders facing corruption charges while another lost credibility for making grand promises it could not deliver.

So much and yet so little has changed and it is no longer about choosing the best but picking the side with the least liabilities.

“It’s back to basics, not emotional like in 2018 when people believed they were voting to save Malaysia,” said former parliamentarian Gan Ping Sieu.

There is so much cynicism and political fatigue especially on the western belt where economic issues have taken its toll.

If people in Kedah are not excited, it could be that they get jittery whenever it rains.

If there is no wave in Johor, it is because Johoreans had recently voted in a state election.

And if the mood on the Pahang side is low-key, it is because the controversial Lynas plant is like the elephant in the room that Pakatan politicians are trying to ignore.

Former Bentong MP Wong Tack, a leading voice against Lynas and who is contesting as an independent, struck a lonely figure as he made his way through a village coffeeshop.

People were civil but there was no applause or rush for selfies. A teenager, who was glued to his handphone, shook Wong’s hand and immediately returned to his phone.

Hopefully, that was not a reflection of the political outlook of the youth vote.

But the urban populace on the west coast want to give Pakatan another chance at power. They appreciate Pakatan’s role in going after the 1MDB scandal and the conviction of Datuk Seri Najib Razak.

Party-hopping has also dented the confidence of ordinary people in politicians.

A candidate campaigning in Tebrau where the former MP jumped ship was asked by a market trader: “How will I know you won’t jump?”

The trader turned away when the candidate tried to explain the anti-hopping law.

Datuk Seri Irmohizam Ibrahim, who is from Kampung Kuantan or the famous fireflies village in Kuala Selangor, said the national mood has changed.

“In 2018, my cousin who was in front of me in the voting line, apologised that she could not vote for me because she supported Pakatan’s promise to defer student loans. I remember I felt like crying.

“My relatives believed all the promises, especially about the highway tolls. Now, they don’t like to talk about politics,” said Irmohizam who was the former Barisan Nasional candidate in Kuala Selangor.

There is so much scepticism but no anger or emotion driving the campaign.

But several personalities have shone for their strategy, energy and charisma.

The first is aspiring prime minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim whose bid for Tambun has fired up the mood in Perak. He has drawn large crowds as he campaigns around the country.

The other is his deputy president Rafizi Ramli who has strived to campaign on policy and factual arguments rather than the usual I-say-you and you-say-me nonsense.

Why are people listening more to them than other Pakatan leaders? It is largely because they were not part of the Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad government and their credibility was not dented.

Another figure making waves is Khairy Jalamaluddin who has captured public imagination with his personality and campaign pitch in Sungai Buloh.

His TikTok videos garner thousands of likes, his messaging is contemporary and on point and many see him as the future face of Malaysia.

Candidates like Anwar, Rafizi and Khairy are driving the national narrative in their own way and people are watching.

Will the momentum pick up as the big day draws near?

Are Malaysians headed for more political turbulence and instability going by the surveys on voter sentiments?

Predictions are hard to make and election night could be the most exciting night of our lives. - Star