Although PKR strategist, Rafizi Ramli has explained the reasons for the Kajang by-election, many voters are still angry with his explanation on the need for the by-election.
A survey by this columnist’s PAS friends show that the Kajang folk interviewed (around 100 of them) accept Rafizi’s explanation although they are not absolutely happy with it.
Be that as it may, they have said that they still look forward to a carnival-like atmosphere in town as it is the norm of such events together with the goodies that will soon be pouring in.
A local English paper reported on Feb 24 that the Health Ministry has set aside RM10 million to upgrade the existing facilities and equipment at Kajang Hospital and that is a real bonus indeed.
Kajangites will also have the opportunity to meet the bigwigs from both BN and Pakatan Rakyat as these leaders will make a beeline for Kajang after nomination day on Tuesday, March 11.
This will enable the voters to grill these bigwigs properly pertaining to a number of local and national issues. One of the main issues is of course the price increase in goods.
Although the Kajang folk are grateful to the government for the BR1M 3.0 payout, they are of the view that not enough is being done to halt the price hikes.
As BR1M increases in its sum, prices of goods also see an increase, so it is status quo in everyone’s pockets – no loss, no gain when it is gain that people are hoping for.
As to the by-election proper, an interesting battle is shaping up in Kajang which has 49% Malay voters, 40% Chinese voters and 10% Indian voters.
Thus far, opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim has been grilled on the issue concerning Allah word during a dialogue in a Catholic church and this has put him in a tight spot.
In this same dialogue, one voter had told Anwar that the latter will not be getting his vote if he was not sure of securing the Menteri Besar’s post.
Many Chinese have made up their mind to vote for Anwar. This is because some of them still recall the question of ‘What more do the Chinese want?’ which was posed by a local daily after GE13 last year.
Other Chinese voters are unhappy with the treatment endured by DAP’s Seputeh MP, Teresa Kok for her Chinese New Year video clip.
Chew a nice lady
Although the Chinese opined that the video clip was unwise, the hooligan style protests against her were uncalled for.
Anwar’s charm and charisma has impressed the Chinese but there are still some women who will vote for MCA’s Chew Mei Fun out of pity. This is based on the ‘woman must help woman’ philosophy.
BN’s decision to field Chew is because 51% of the voters are women. This columnist’s PAS friends say the Malay women will be voting for Chew, so that is quite a substantial number of votes.
The Indian voters have remain tight-lipped although a few of them have expressed slight unhappiness with BN due to P Waythamoorthy’s resignation as Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department.
At this point in time it is unclear if the resignation will influence the Indian voting pattern.
Another reason why MCA fielded Chew is because she is a nice lady. She is hardworking, friendly and approachable and these characteristics will enable her to counter Anwar’s charm offensive.
Her plea to voters is for them to put in a strong opposition voice in the Selangor state legislative assembly by voting her in.
She also has a good track record as former Petaling Jaya Utara MP, a senator and experience as a deputy minister in the Women, Family and Community Development Ministry.
However, she does have one thing lacking and that is star quality attraction. A politician has to have a bit of a pop star image and her quiet manner may be a drawback as it has made her seem lacklustre.
Still, one must not write off her chances completely as there will be people who will prefer a quiet but hardworking state assemblyman.
Bearing this in mind, DAP’s veteran stalwart, Lim Kit Siang has warned Pakatan Rakyat not to be complacent and over-confident of victory as it is going to be a very tough battle ahead.
Lim has urged all Pakatan’s component parties to speak and act as one in order to garner votes.
As polling is on Sunday, March 23, Chew has ample time to woo the voters. Pakatan should not underestimate the might of women’s solidarity which may be enough to turn the tide against Anwar.
If Pakatan thinks that victory is a foregone conclusion, then it is doing so at its own peril.
