When it comes to elections, we are all Malaysians. No one will dare attach labels or brand some as kaum pendatang or other monikers. For a good measure, they will throw in religion espousing that all faiths lead to God.
This
will come sans the fanfare and pomposity they had enjoyed. They would
come not in their Mercs and Beamers but from a garage of cars, thereāll
be plenty to choose from. There will be no sight of a Ferrari or
Lamborghini which is the favourite mode of travel for some of the
well-heeled.
Perhaps an old Kancil used by the cook would suffice or avoid the Harley Davidson but a kapcai borrowed from the grass cutter who keeps their sprawling lawns trim proper in their well-maintained mansions.
They
will be dressed like you and me - in party shirts or some other garment
which they are not used to wearing. If the ladies come along, their
Birkin and Bijan will be left at home with a cheap plastic handbag from
the pasar malam for the company - never mind if they do not match their dresses.
On
their wrists will be cheap electronic watches made of plastic while
their chronometers which cost several hundred thousand are not in sight.
Scores of RM50 or RM100 notes will be ādonatedā to alleviate the plight
of the downtrodden.
They wonāt come along with overbearing aides
who would whisper something into their ears to tell them what to say. In
short, they will be themselves behaving as if they are learned and
well-versed in the peopleās problems.
Suddenly, they become
ordinary mortals like you and me. The message they want to send is: āI
am a simple man with simple taste.ā They would sit in the warung with
the people and tell them of the hardships they had to ensure to āserve
the people.ā
Little is talked about policies
It
has happened before and it will happen again. Once in four or five
years, they are seen. Every destination, however scared or venerable
will also be in their itinerary. Yes, during election time, they wonāt
talk about religion or race, unlike the rhetoric and bombast they will
spew thereafter.
āWe are all Malaysians,ā they would declare to applause.
Then, the ārent-a-crowdā phenomenon which has been entrenched in the
system will see hundreds of āsupportersā being bussed to occupy the many
empty tables.
There will be well-known artistes to lure the
crowd. Remember Psy in Penang? Remember the 1,000-table dinner at the
Port Klang Free Zone the last time around?
On the brighter side,
thereāll be plenty of opportunities for party stalwarts and hangers-on
to make a quick buck by being middlemen to print posters and buntings;
for the supply of bamboo poles and organising ceramah in their
neighbourhoods.
The creative people will already be busy with
designs of campaign material and media buyers will have a busy period
making media bookings. Media houses will be caught in a dilemma ā
whether to accept advertisements for certain parties lest they enjoy the
wrath of the other.
Party manifestos despite all the hullabaloo
about the national language, will be distributed in four languages and
illustrated with photographs of the candidate visiting flood victims,
handing out aid to the infirmed and even manoeuvring them in a
wheelchair.
(By the way, in May 2013, the Court of Appeal held
that an election manifesto is not legally enforceable. Following this
landmark ruling, the three-member panel led by Justice Mohd Hishamudin
Mohd Yunus struck out a civil suit brought by a group of single mothers
who were seeking RM10.9 million in allowances over the Selangor
government's alleged failure to fulfil its 2008 general election
manifesto.)
Then,
there will be the frogs who had jumped parties. They are not ashamed of
admitting to doing so and they would give a variety of reasons ā being
disillusioned with the leaders or that they had been unable to deliver
what was promised because they were on the other side.
Little is
talked about policies, how the country would get out of the mess we are
in or the rising prices of consumer goods. No one would talk about
floods and other calamities. People must have a positive feel, they
contend.
Two words will be commonly used to delight and convince
the audience. Got a problem? From potholes to errant developers, the
answer would be: āThe first thing we will do is to set up a ātask forceā
to address the problem.ā
That may be an inducement but they will
sometimes come with a threat: āIf you support the other side, we will
cut off funds for development in your area.ā Surprised? It had been done
previously.
Welcome to the Malaysian elections. The methodology
has been tried and tested. It has been working for the past 14
elections. Why should it fail this time?
In the meantime, as part
of our culture, no one would ask: āWhere were you all these years? Where
were you when we needed you most?ā
The ritual will be continued.
It is no secret that some will be swayed by the promises with sweeteners
on offer but beware of Greeks bearing gifts.
