KUALA LUMPUR – Fence-sitters who are disappointed with all political parties will be the deal-breakers in the 15th general election (GE15), PKR deputy president Rafizi Ramli said.
They are well-informed of both the government and opposition’s shortcomings and have no inclination to either side of the political divide.
“They are aware of the effects of bribery and wrongful deeds. They also know that many Umno, Pas, and Bersatu ministers do not know how to lead.
“However, they are also disappointed with the performance of Pakatan Harapan (PH) during its 22 months in power.
“It is this category that will decide who wins GE15,” Rafizi said in a video on Facebook.
If PH can woo this category of voters, then the coalition has a chance at victory, he added.
In his video, Rafizi said the disappointed group was one of three types of “fence-sitters”.
Another category is those who are concerned about bread-and-butter issues and how the economy is managed.
“Daily economic topics – like the price of goods, salaries, and youth education – are the main benchmarks for those in this category,” said Rafizi, adding that this group “usually votes for PH”.
Another category of fence-sitters is those for whom race and religion are most important.
Those in this group are aware of corrupt acts by some leaders and how poorly parties like Umno, PAS and Bersatu are managed, but “would rather have a lazy or unethical minister, as long as he is Malay and a Muslim,” Rafizi said.
He said this group would likely vote for Umno or PAS.
Besides the fence-sitters, there are the loyalists who will vote for the party they have always supported regardless of right or wrong.
Rafizi said debating against this group will be futile.
To win over voters, Rafizi said people must be made to realise that racial and religious sentiments will not solve their bread-and-butter issues.
“The issues of low income, high prices of goods, costly homeownership and personal loans, can only be resolved by the policies and plans of a government that is smart, honest, and efficient,” he said – The Vibes, November 1, 2022
