MELAKA – Strict Melaka election standard operating procedures (SOPs) are making it difficult for Barisan Nasional (BN) to measure on the ground voter sentiments in predicting the outcome of the polls.
This is according to Umno veteran Tan Sri Annuar Musa, who said the lack of physical interaction between candidates and voters is proving a hindrance in gauging the people’s support.
“The sentiment, commitment, and spirit of our machineries is very high, and I think this is BN’s biggest advantage. However, the sentiment of the rakyat is still hard to predict, as we barely meet them face-to-face.
“But I believe our machineries know this. And based on feedback from them, the situation is good, and I hope they can maintain the momentum until voting day,” he told reporters when met at BN’s operation room for the Rim constituency.
Annuar said while the strict SOPs that prevent any physical gatherings are a challenge, his finds that this has been replaced by a new way of campaigning through social media.
“This is the new normal and may prove to be more effective compared to the old campaigning methods. It is not impossible,” he said.
On opposition leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim’s proposal for a debate on national television featuring each coalition’s chief minister candidate, Annuar said this is not feasible – considering that the polls are only held at the state level, not national.
Annuar – who is also communications and multimedia minister – said if this is allowed in Melaka, it will set a precedent for all other state elections in the future, where debates will have to be held among the parties’ choice of leaders.
“We have discussed (using national television for the debate) and decided that at the moment, it is not appropriate. We need to consider that there will be other elections in bigger states, and even a general election soon.
“That’s why we have to think carefully. There are pros and cons to this. But at the moment, we have already agreed to allow RTM to give fair exposure to all candidates.”
Meanwhile, on Johor Umno veteran Tan Sri Shahrir Abdul Samad’s apparent challenge to Bersatu assemblymen to withdraw support for the state government and push for an election, Annuar said such forms of politics should cease.
He said the culture of challenging and attacking certain individuals or parties is not the way to go, and that priority should be on promoting the party’s vision and maintaining cooperation.
Yesterday, Shahrir had posted on Facebook daring Bersatu president Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin to withdraw his party from the Johor administration, after the latter said he could do in Johor what Umno did to him at the federal level.
Muhyiddin responded by calling Shahrir “stupid” for issuing such a statement, telling the Umno man not to dare him and that if he wanted, he could cause the collapse of the Umno-held Johor administration with the push of a button. – The Vibes, November 13, 2021
