The Malaysian Insider :: Opinion
The Malaysian Insider :: Opinion |
| Can campaign style determine a winner? Posted: 25 Apr 2013 05:18 PM PDT
APRIL 26 — It's a week into the official campaign period and following the candidates around their constituencies has started to take its toll on me. My beautiful Converse shoes are now caked in mud and fishy water due to walking in pasar malams, and not to mention the fields during ceramah nights. I've also had to avoid rotten eggs being thrown from fanatic party supporters and have had to endure threats from local party leaders. And I might have some hearing damage due to the unsporting behaviour of other supporters who play loud patriotic music during an opposition candidate's ceramahs. Aside from that, it's been a blast! One thing that struck me is the unique way different politicians have when it comes to campaigning. It's almost like auteurship. Writers have individual styles when they write, painters have their own styles when they paint, and film-makers have their own way of directing. So it's only fair that we allow politicians to have their own styles which they think can appeal to the public and help them garner votes. Now in Lembah Pantai (which is where I've been all this while reporting for Astro Awani), the two candidates from BN and PR, Nurul Izzah Anwar and Raja Datuk Nong Chik Zainal Abidin, couldn't be more different. Nurul Izzah couldn't be more people-friendly and approachable. When she visits the streets of Bangsar, people crowd around her like the paparazzi clamouring over Kate Hudson. People approach to speak to her either to contribute words of encouragement and support or even to argue with her (her response is always polite!). She speaks eloquently and rationally which doesn't necessarily garner a raving response from an audience, but she definitely gets her points across. But, of course, the crowd doesn't clamour around her when she walks in areas like Bukit Bangsar which many see as a BN stronghold. Yet, due to her approachable manner, people still smile and shake her hand when she greets them on her walkabouts. Raja Nong Chik, on the other hand, doesn't have the same campaign strategy. He says that he prefers not to speak as his contribution to the community speaks for itself. For someone who believes that showing oneself as a hard worker is better than just going with rhetoric, he has a group of BN youth with him everywhere he goes. It seems as if their sole purpose is to create a large entourage that constantly cheers him on whenever he does need to speak. And boy, do they cheer loud! It even includes a lot of fist pumping and flag waving. And people definitely do not clamour around him, neither in Pakatan Rakyat's (PR) stronghold of Bangsar, or even in his stronghold of Bukit Bangsar and Kerinchi. So, to date, if I were to judge solely on the style of campaigning and the response from the public in Lembah Pantai, my money would be on Nurul Izzah. That being said, there is another eight more days of campaigning before people take to the polls. A lot can happen in that time. * This is the personal opinion of the columnist. | |
| Drama Umno Pasir Mas tak hidup Posted: 25 Apr 2013 04:59 PM PDT
26 APRIL — Kisah calon BN Parlimen Pasir Mas, Che Johan Che Pa tidak menyerahkan borang pencalonannya kepada Pegawai Pengurus Pilihan Raya adalah satu drama yang lakunannya tidak hidup. Watak-watak yang terlibat seperti Che Johan, Pengerusi Perhubungan Umno negeri, Datuk Mustapa Mohamad, pencadang dan penyokong calon serta penyokong-penyokong Umno yang mengiring calon dilihat kaku. Lakunan itu tidak realistik. Calon sudah ada di dewan pencalonan sehingga pukul sepuluh, waktu pencalonan ditutup dan pengumuman sudah boleh diumumkan. Calon boleh selamba, tidak menyerahkan borang pencalonan. Pencadang dan penyokong pula boleh rehat tenang tidak merasa susah hati dan cemas atas sikap calon tidak menyerahkan borangnya. Tiada sebarang reaksi cemas, risau, marah dan sebagainya atas kejadian itu. Borang itu tidak semestinya diserahkan oleh calon. Ia boleh diserahkan oleh pencadang dan penyokong. Mengapa mereka tidak mengambil apa-apa tindakan. Jika drama itu hidup dan realistik, penyokong dan pencadang mesti bertindak menggesa Che Johan menyerahkan borang. Jika Che Johan enggan dan mereka tidak terdaya untuk memaksa Che Johan, mereka boleh keluar dewan memberitahu penyokong Umno yang ramai itu Che Johan tidak menyerahkan borangnya. Pegawai Pengurus Pilahan Raya mesti rasa terganggu dan ada tanda tanya mengapa calon BN tidak menyerahkan borang. Memang pelik dan suatu yang amat ajaib ada dalam dunia ini calon Umno tidak menyerahkan borang. Umno biasanya tidak lesu dan kaku tidak memberi apa-apa reaksi apabila calon dan pengiringnya bertindak bodoh seperti itu. Mereka biasanya bertindak garang dan keras terhadap sebarang kejadian yang dikira sabotaj parti. Jika kejadian itu bukan lakunan, maka kita tidak duga apa reaksi penyokong Umno yang menghantar calon mendapati calon mengkhianati mereka. Orang Kelantan biasanya gedebe akan naik angin akan kejadian seperti itu. Che Johan tidak boleh senang dan selesa dengan kejadian itu. Tiada jaminan pulang selamat dari dewan itu. Jangan fikir dia tidak akan diganggu oleh orang Umno yang tidak puas hati. Tetapi tiada kejadian tegang dan Che Johan seolah-olah tidak terganggu langsung. Keadaan seperti tidak boleh berlaku bagi orang calon Umno kiranya dia dikira khianat. Luar biasa Umno boleh sabar dan boleh bersurai dengan baik. Sebagai satu drama semua kejadian itu tidak menunjukkan lakunan yang hidup dan seolah-olah kejadian dalam masa pencalonan itu tidak berlaku apa-apa. Pemimpin Umno negeri dan pusat tidak terasa apa-apa. Mereka lebih sensitif dengan reaksi Datuk Kamilia Ibrahim yang bercanding Bebas dan keluar parti. Tiada riuh langsung dengan kejadian ganjil di Pasir Mas itu. Mustapa hanya panggil Che Johan minta penjelasan dan serah pada Kuala Lumpur untuk menentukan. Che Johan adalah seorang dari lima atau enam orang ahli PAS menyertai Umno bersama Ustaz Nakhaie. Yang lain ialah Dr Fuad Zakashi, Timbalan Menteri Pelajaran sekarang dan Saifudin Nasution, Setiausaha Agung PKR. Yang lain saya tidak ingat. Kisah kayu tiga antara Umno, Ibrahim Ali dan calon Umno itu telah sampai ke pengetahuan saya seminggu sebelum Najib mengumumkan senarai calon BN seluruhnya. Akan ada silap mati, calon Umno tidak jadi bertanding bagi memberi peluang kepada Ibrahim Ali bertanding satu lawan satu dengan PAS. Telah saya tulis dalam Facebook saya. Adalah benar ia satu drama, tetapi ia bukan lakunan profesional. Nampak sangat kaku dan lesunya. Dan Umno pula tak nampak macam reaksi Umno sebenar. Penuh dengan olok-olok. * Pandangan di atas hanyalah pandangan peribadi penulis. |
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