October 7, 2024
KUALA LUMPUR – THE dust has yet to settle over the Mahkota by-election but the angry exchange of words that has erupted is threatening to wash away the camaraderie between partners of the unity government.
It began with calls from the Pakatan Harapan side to be included in the Johor government. This was swiftly opposed by Umno politicians who are adamant about keeping Johor an exclusively Barisan Nasional government.
Pakatan leaders accused Umno of being ungrateful after the efforts put in by Pakatan in the Mahkota by-election.
The Umno side retaliated with politicians like former Pulai MP Datuk Nur Jazlan Mohamed claiming that Pakatan failed to deliver the Chinese vote.
It is like a soap opera about a dysfunctional family who need each other to survive but simply cannot get along with each other.
Chinese votes and support has become a sticking point. Once as predictable as the four seasons, Chinese sentiment has grown quite rebellious and less easy to read.
Some Chinese voters who went out to vote in the by-election complained that their neighbours shouted at them to stay home and not to waste their time.
A think-tank that examined the turnout at all the 20 polling stations in Mahkota had estimated Chinese turnout to be 34%, Indian 32% and Malay 63%.
But Johor DAP chief Liew Chin Tong, who is also Deputy International Trade and Industry Minister, claimed Chinese turnout to be 50%.
The low Chinese turnout has been perceived as some sort of boycott or even a trend considering that the same thing happened in the Sungai Bakap polls.
Actually, DAP leaders went all out to woo the Chinese in Mahkota, so much so that they were criticised for bending over backwards for a party that continuously insulted the community.
DAP played its part but the party seems unable to get the Chinese to play along like in the good days.
And who can blame the Chinese for refusing to come along? Barely two years ago, they were told to bury Umno but are now asked to vote for Umno. Some of them probably felt that they were being treated like cattle, herded here and there.
“There was frustration about Pakatan working so closely with Umno. They are thinking: yesterday you tell us one thing, today you say another thing. But more than that, there is political fatigue among all races.
“Many are turned off by politics, they feel let down by politicians. The Chinese in particular, are extremely concerned about Islamisation and how it affects their lifestyle and business,” said lawyer and former Mengkibol assemblyman Gan Ping Sieu.
Does the low Chinese turnout in the Mahkota and Sungai Bakap by-elections suggest that not voting could become a conscious option in elections?
Voters who are not motivated to vote for this side but do not want to vote for the other side, may choose to stay home.
According to Gan, it is rather premature to view not voting as a trend.
“It has more to do with frustrations over the expectation gap. They don’t understand that policies cannot be done in the blink of an eye,” he said.
The Chinese tsunami in the 2013 general election rocked Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s government and toppled him in 2018.
The Chinese realised the power of their votes and, said political commentator Khaw Veon Szu, they are once again using the ballot box to send signals to the government.
“This is the mid-term period, they know the outcome of the by-election will not rock the boat. It is the perfect time to signal their displeasure over issues. But when their votes matter, they know what to do. They came out to defend the DAP seat in the Kuala Kubu Baru by-election,” said Khaw.
The older voters are able to compare the delivery track record of Chinese leaders, past and present, and that may explain why it is the senior generation who are calling out the contradictions that they see in today’s politics.
For instance, corruption and abuse of power was one of Pakatan’s most lethal campaign weapons. But nobody in Pakatan talks about corruption anymore on the campaign trail.
The Chinese also used to look to Taiwan’s rough-and-tumble style of politics as a model. But Taiwan’s politics, said Gan, lacks a sense of civic responsibility and is prone to post-truth politics and alternative facts, a trend seen in other parts of the world.
“I can see the thinking class among the Chinese recalibrating and rethinking what is in their best interests in the coming years,” said Gan.
The Chinese also need more voices of reason, opinion shapers or what in the West are known as public intellectuals.
The personality who comes closest to that is former Selangor DAP leader Datuk Teng Chang Khim. Teng has something that so many other Chinese politicians do not have – credibility and the courage to speak the truth to power.
UTAR political scientist Teh Boon Teck said DAP’s image and reputation is not what it used to be but it is still the choice of younger Chinese.
The bulk of his students are generally not up-to-date on current political issues but DAP still has a captive cache of votes among them.
As for the Unified Examination Certificate or UEC which used to be a burning issue, Teh said that although it is largely relevant for students who intend to pursue their studies in Taiwan or China, it will be good optics for the government to recognise the certificate.
DAP, in particular, would not want the practice of not voting to become a trend among the Chinese.
The party is still the choice of most Chinese but that support is hinged on a few factors – the performance of its leaders, their ability to speak up for what the community wants and the threat from PAS.
The views expressed here are entirely the writer’s own