Low turnouts not a measure of patriotism

The electoral turnouts for the three recent by-elections - Sungai Kandis, Seri Setia and Balakong - averaged at less than 50 percent in each constituency and are indeed the lowest since 2009.

The Star, which reported the above, is right on this fact but flawed on the national narrative altogether. Why?

Let's assume GE15 is next month or, in fact, next week and the stakes once again are the fate of Malaysia, Malaysia Incorporated and Malaysia within the context of a China-dominated East Asia.

Would Malaysians be lulled into a slumber, still, and not show up (at the polls) beyond a threshold of 83 percent as was the case on May 9?

The answer to the hypothetical question above, without a shadow of a doubt, is a loud “no” on all three scores.

Now, why would the hypothetical question, which is an exercise in mental deduction, lead to such a resounding and obvious answer? There are many reasons, but it is enough to offer just six of them.

First and foremost, Malaysians have proven, time and again as in 1968, 1978, 1988, 1998, and indeed in 2008 and in 2018, that when push comes to shove, they are determined to set the country on the right course. In fact, every 10 years since 1957, patriotic sentiments have always been at an all-time high.

By-elections that cannot change the overall pattern of the general elections are considered a national bore. Voters want their votes to count. They want their votes to move the proverbial needle, period.

Second, as can be seen from the Kajang by-election in 2015, when the crucible of Malaysia, Malaysia Incorporated and China in Malaysia are all entwined, Malaysians of all races to come out in droves. Why? They want Anwar Ibrahim and the campaign of reformasi to take on more zing - and bite.

Third, Malaysian voters are not stupid. With the exception of the 36 percent who still rooted for Umno and BN on May 9, almost none have any faith in the sincerity of these or such politicians.

Little wonder, even with a reduced turnout of close to 35 percent in all three by-elections, Umno, MCA, MIC and PAS still received a thumping. In all three by-elections, Pakatan Harapan still triumphed. This alone is indicative of the patriotic fervour that remains dormant, yet active on the ground.

Anwar dancing

Fourth, none of the three by-elections featured what Lim Kit Siang would call "the magic of the campaigns". Voters know that the genie had been unleashed on May 9. On that night, the major stalwarts from across the board in Harapan had shown their mettle. If anything, the three-week by-election campaigns in Seri Setia and Balakong reached a point of saturation insofar as issues of resonance were concerned.

Be it 1MDB, kleptocracy, the Equanimity or invariably, the deep rot of Malaysia, all hands are now on deck to repair the damage of these issues. Why should the voters elect their respective candidates with a large share of the votes when none of the three would be in the cabinet or state executive council anyway? Thus, it was enough to exercise one's right of suffrage without being overbearing again.

Fifth, whenever Anwar appeared in two of these three by-elections campaigns, the attendance of the crowds would spike. A video of Anwar doing a dance on stage with an acclaimed Indian theme song, immediately went viral on social media.

This alone is a sign that Malaysian sentiment for change remains high, as Anwar, as the prime minister-in-waiting, is indeed slated to be the next prime minister to take over from Dr Mahathir Mohamad. The voters are more interested in issues of huge national import and will show up accordingly.

Finally, all three by-elections happened either within the 100-day for pledged reforms or just slightly two weeks after the 100-day reforms deadline.

While the South China Morning Post claimed that only two promises have been fulfilled, marked as they are by the abolition of GST tax and the fixed subsidy for the RON 95 petrol, voters across the board can see that Harapan has been trying its best to enhance compliance to its election manifesto.

For example, Mahathir agreed to review the appointment of Dr Maszlee Malik as president of the International Islamic University of Malaysia (IIUM).

Prodigal son

The willingness to "walk back" on such issues, while not sufficient in the future, were enough to convince the voters in all three areas that Harapan was a government better at listening to the grouses of the people from the ground up rather than BN, which has yet to explain why billions of ringgit had been found in the multiple residences of Najib Abdul Razak.

Come next month, Anwar Ibrahim, the prodigal Malaysian son, will run in the fourth by-election, when someone from his PKR party resigns from office voluntarily, in order to allow him to take a crack at leading the country in the future. This issue is one that has been brewing since, and even before, 1998.

Malaysian voters who have patiently waited for Anwar’s return will not fail to show up in large numbers in any area that he contests. The Star, which is owned by MCA anyway, in case anyone wants to know, will find its "low turnout" thesis reduced to sheer pulp.

When Malaysians turn up en masse for Anwar, the editorial and corporate board of The Star better know that their days are numbered. To be sure, there won't be press censorship. Neither Mahathir nor Anwar believe in the need to muffle the press.

There is so much that Malaysians will take when the print media, which is a sunset industry, keeps resorting to more spin, to earn their spurs with their bosses.

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PHAR KIM BENG was a multiple award-winning Head Teaching Fellow on China and Cultural Revolution in Harvard University. - Mkini

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