Writer’s note: This article was supposed to be posted several weeks ago but I just couldn’t find the time to finish it… Ah well, better late than never…
The Kuala Terengganu parliamentary by-election has ended… the results are out… and PAS candidate, Mohd Abdul Wahid Endut overcame BN’s Datuk Wan Ahmad Farid Wan Salleh with a majority of 2,631 votes.
The by-election witnessed Abdul Wahid, the unbeaten Wakaf Mempelam State representative for the past 19 years (since the year 1990) going against the UMNO Kuala Terengganu Division Head and former Senator Deputy Home Minister Datuk Wan Farid.
One may wonder: why was this by-election so important? Regardless of who wins, it won’t change the composition of the Parliament as BN would still have the majority hold of the Parliament. Furthermore the Terengganu State Assembly would definitely not be affected, in any way whatsoever. So why was this by-election so important that required both parties to send their full force and caused major traffic jam in the peaceful state capital of Terengganu?
To me, the reason is simple: both parties wanted to prove that they still have the people’s support. For BN, the March 8 election was a big blow to them - losing 2/3 majority in Parliament as well as losing 5 states to the opposition. So they had the dying need to prove that they’ve learnt their lesson and finally ‘turning a new leaf’. This ‘once-undefeated’ coalition had to show the rakyat that it is still relevant, regardless of the animosity existing among its coalition parties. Moreover, the election was also equally important for Deputy Prime Minister Dato’ Seri Najib and Terengganu Menteri Besar Datuk Ahmad Said, in proving themselves as capable leaders of the country and state, respectively.
On the other hand, for Pakatan Rakyat, particularly PAS, they had to prove that their win on March 8 was not just a fad – a one hit wonder - but instead a sincere and genuine support of the people in their effort to take over the federal government. So despite the obvious rift between PAS and DAP, we can still see Theresa Kok in Kampung Cina, trying to garner the support of the KT Chinese community.
So what exactly happened? Why did BN lost the by-election? I agree with the DPM that the opposition’s victory is proof that democracy in Malaysia is well and alive but he didn't exactly explain the cause of BN’s downfall in Terengganu now, did he? Well, to me, it was because of two avoidable reasons.
Choice of Candidate
“Those who cannot learn from history are doomed to repeat it”
For these past few years, BN, particularly UMNO, has been repeatedly making the same mistakes in selecting wrong candidates for elections and no different from previous elections, that vital mistake was again committed by BN in this particular by-election.
Bearing in mind that PAS had fielded one of its unbeaten ‘people’s champions’, it was expected that BN would also go for a "PR man" to contest on its ticket. To the surprise of many, BN however took a different approach when it announced that Datuk Wan Farid was representing them for the Kuala Terengganu seat.
Personally, I have nothing against Datuk Wan Farid – I am sure that being an experienced Division Head and former Deputy Home Minister, he has what it takes to be a valuable member of the Parliament, and probably, eventually become a minister. But BN should have anticipated that this particular by-election was never about the ability or capability of the candidates – it was more of a popularity contest. Having considered this, perhaps BN should have chosen other candidates who was more 'approachable' and 'down-to-earth'... candidates such as Dato’ Che Mat Jusoh, who had even garnered the respect of PAS leaders as well as its hardcore grassroots. Or BN could have also opted for Mohd. Zuber Embong, who is currently tipped to be the next Pengarah Pendidikan Negeri Terengganu (ironically, the last position held by Allahyarham Dato’ Razali before he retired and joined politics). These two, in my view, would have a higher fighting chance of going against Abdul Wahid than Datuk Wan Farid.
BN should have also considered another aspect when selecting a candidate i.e. the people's perspective. Datuk Wan Farid, without any fault of his own, was born into a life of luxury… common people view him as being an ‘aristocrat’, an “anak Datuk”. And it is this ‘gap’ that prevented him to relate and warming up to the people of Terengganu. Furthermore, having a brother, whose political reputation is questionable, forced Datuk Wan Farid to carry the additional unnecessary baggage.
So in the end, the by-election was not viewed as “BN against PAS” but instead “BN versus Abdul Wahid”.
Simple Efforts
Having successfully winning elections year after year since independence, BN seems to be too comfortable with its success and tends to take things for granted. In this particular by-election, PAS had put enormous effort in trying to attract registered voters to vote for them, especially those who are ‘di perantauan’. Sadly, no such effort was seen from BN.
For instance, a few days before the by-election, I received a call from BERSIH, an opposition-based non-governmental organization, offering free transportation to Kuala Terengganu for me go back for the by-election. I was also surprised to receive a mail, addressed to my Bandar Sri Damansara house, containing mini-posters of PAS agendas and a flier with the biodata of its candidate, Abdul Wahid (until now, it still remains a mystery as to how exactly PAS got my KL address). Anyway, the biodata, apart from providing personal information of Abdul Wahid, also displayed a picture of the candidate’s family – this, in my opinion, was aimed to humanise the candidate and it worked… the aim was, ultimately, achieved.
Interesting to note that these effortless efforts did not just come from the party but also from the candidate itself. Right after the poll was closed, Abdul Wahid made a press statement - thanking the police, the Election Commission officers and to all who were involved in ensuring that the by-election, which was regarded the 'most peaceful by-election in Malaysia', went smoothly. Now taking note that the press statement was release AFTER the poll was closed, it can be reasonably pressumed that it was not a political ploy to win votes but a sincere sign of gratitude - a virtue, which I thought, had vanished in the Malaysian politics.
It is also worth to mention that upon being announced as the winner, 'Abdul Wahid' sent SMSs to most (if not all) of the voters, thanking them for voting PAS and electing him as the Kuala Terengganu member of Parliament. Although the SMSs obviously did not come from the candidate himself, receveing text messages of gratitude such as these, especially after winning, created a sense of appreciation by the candidate, among the voters. Everyone welcomes a word of thanks or a show of gratitude, enough said.
Surprisingly, BN, with its vast resources and infinite budget, did not bother to produce the same effort to pursue voters. In my case, I’ve already made up my mind as to who I was going to vote for but thinking about all the ‘atas pagar’ people… modest attempts like these would definitely be in favour of Abdul Wahid. For those who are 50-50, the extra little effort taken to reach to them can become huge determiner on election day. Alas for BN, it was a costly oversight, which is a product of its own success.
So the battle for Kuala Terengganu is lost but the war is still far from over, especially with the recent party-hopping fiasco. As to whom I voted for in the 2009 Kuala Terengganu Parliamentary by-election… it is suffice to say that my vote on that day was unable to change the final outcome of the election.
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