Perhaps, even more critically, it will reflect on the popularity of incoming premier Najib Abdul Razak and the strength of his leadership in the Malay community - the largest ethnic group in the nation.
In the landmark 2008 national polls, Malaysians - in particular younger Malaysians - had rejected the BN’s divide-and-rule approach towards multi-racial governance.
Citing frustration with the BN’s patriarchal and elitist system - which many found stifling - they gave Opposition Leader Anwar Ibrahim and his Pakatan Rakyat 48 percent of the popular vote and control of five of the country’s 13 states.
“KT is significant because it will show whether Malaysians are still rejecting the BN,” said a veteran political analyst.
“In particular, it gauges whether Malaysians, especially the Malays, believe in Najib - if he has done enough or has the will to do enough to rid the country of corruption and suppression.
“Perhaps some think he may actually add to the malpractices? I think everyone already has an opinion, but is just waiting to see if everybody else thinks the same,” he added.
BN onslaught centred on hudud
Both the main contestants for the parliamentary seat - Pakatan and BN - have waged a mighty battle since official campaigning kicked off on Jan 6.
If in the Permatang Pauh by-election held last August, the BN’s main weapon was an alleged sodomy charge against Anwar, this time, its onslaught is centred around the religious issue of hudud and how the Pakatan will force it upon the non-Muslim minorities..
Hudud is Islamic criminal law - feared by non-Muslims because it prescribes archaic punishment, such as stoning to death and amputation of limbs.
“It’s they - the BN - who don’t want Islam,” said Pakatan candidate Abdul Wahid Endut, the KT PAS chief and Wakaf Mempelam assemblyman.
“But the Chinese, they understand because we have told them that hudud law is only for Muslims. There is no issue with them.”
Wahid is pitted against Wan Ahmad Farid, the Umno KT chief who suffered a setback last week when Najib’s mentor - ex-premier Mahathir Mohamad - publicly described him as a ‘snob’ who was unpopular with the local folk.
The 46-year old former deputy home minister has since brushed off the harsh comments, boosted by the presence of a string of Umno bigwigs, such as Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, who came to town to help shore up his chances.
Election Goodies vs Frozen Oil Royalties
More importantly, Najib, who is also Finance Minister and BN election director, has been quick to unleash an unending package of election goodies worth hundreds of millions of ringgit.
Said Najib : “An opposition MP can make noise in Parliament, but to bring change and obtain funding, it is clear that the Barisan candidate is more effective than the opposition candidate.”
The DPM was immediately condemned for the comment and accused of making use of public funds to scare KT voters away from the Pakatan. Although today, he told the press that Terengganu stood to get between RM1.6-3.0 billion if the world price of oil rose, few heeded his words.
“Oil price was high in 2007 and 2008, we didn’t get anything then or in the past. Why should we believe him now?,” said a 28-year old bank officer, who has been working in Kuala Lumpur for the past five years. He plans to take leave on Friday and drive back to KT to cast his vote.
In any case, KT folk are an independent lot, having shown before in the past that money is not always their motivating factor.
Many of locals are in fact still furious with Umno and in particular, Mahathir. The former PM, who ruled Malaysia with a fist of iron for 22 years, had sought to punish Terengganu folk for voting in a PAS state government in 1999.
He frozed billions of ringgit of oil royalty payments due to them, causing large parts of the state to remain under-developed, dragged by poverty and economic stagnancy.
It is indeed telling that Wan Ahmad declined to take part in a public debate on the state’s oil revenues, organised by pro-monarchy group Terengganu People’s Solidarity Council (Mampat).
According to disclosures by various officials, the BN federal government still owes the Terengganu people some RM1.6 billion ringgit.
“The Terengganu people want to know about the status of the oil royalties. An open debate will allow voters to elect a candidate who fights for oil royalties,” said Mohd Fauzi, Mampat’s chairman.
Election Goodies vs Extremism
The Chinese community in KT has been the most sought after ethnic group in this by-election.
Although, there are now some early signs that Pakatan has pulled slightly ahead, many pundits believe the vote is still evenly split amongst the KT Malays, who form 88 percent of electorate.
This means that the Chinese voters, who make up 11 percent of the electorate, may ultimately decide the winner.
Already, the election largesse offered by the Umno-led BN is starting to make headway, with some local Chinese leaders calling on the close-knit community to disregard the Pakatan.
“The government is rich and has been fair in distributing the state’s wealth. There may be problems faced by the Chinese in other states but not here,” said Terengganu Chinese Assembly Hall president Foo Chih Wan, who backs BN partner - the MCA.
But this time, Foo and his followers may not be able to convince the rest of the KT Chinese, who have been watching developments in the rest of the country and want the same brand of multi-racial reforms promised by the Pakatan to sweep their state.
Some in the community also questioned the recent outbursts from Umno leaders such as Mukhriz Mahathir and Ahmad Ismail, fearing they represented rising extremism in Umno - an even more scary prospect than hudud law.
Election Goodies vs Vernacular Schools
Mukhriz recently called for the abolition of vernacular schools, while Ahmad Ismail had described Malaysian Chinese as immigrants.
The recent sacking of popular Law Minister Zaid Ibrahim and the sudden arrests of DAP lawmaker Teresa Kok, Chinese journalist Tan Hoon Cheng and popular blogger Raja Petra Kamarudin under the oppressive Internal Security Act were other causes of concern.
But the main grouse among the KT Chinese lies in the BN’s refusal to revert the teaching of Mathematics and Science at vernacular primary schools from English to Mandarin.
This despite a drastic drop in standards since 2003, when the BN switched the medium of education from mother tongue to English.
The 2007 Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study survey released last month showed Malaysian students took 20th spot for Mathematics versus 10th placing in 2003, and fell to 21st position from 20th in Science.
“The politicians from Umno and MCA have come to visit us. They promised a lot of things, a lot of development,” said a KT housewife with three school-going children.
“But what we care most about is our children’s education. If this deterioration continues, how can they find good jobs in the future. If this is now the standard of our education, I dare not think where it will be in 10 years time.”
- suarakeadilan.com
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