Sunday is a day of recogning in Kajang – whether the glory of Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim is the same or fading or MCA, the representative of Chinese community in the ruling Barisan Nasional (BN) has regain its credential.
The past two months including the 12 days of official campaigning for the Kajang state seat constituency saw Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) slugging it out tooth and nail against underdog BN to retain the seat.
Both women candidates – Datin Seri Dr Wan Azizah Ismail, president of a PKR that aims to put its de facto chief Anwar who is her husband as Prime Minister while the other Datuk Paduka Chew Mei Fun is just to serve the electorate and bring back the credibility of MCA.
Dr Wan Azizah’s campaign theme is From Kajang To Putrajaya while Chew’s is serving the people – a contrast on the role of an assemblyman – for the seat that can only make the assemblyman a Mentri Besar, not Prime Minister.
The past two weeks saw vigorous movements from both sides as Dr Wan Azizah and Chew comb the ground and meet the 39,000-odd electorate that comprise 41 percent Chinese, 48 percent Malays and the remaining Indian voters.
Issues that were first truly political in nature – serving the people’s grouses and bridging the gap between the people and the PKR-led state givernment has, the past two days turned into personal attacks by campaigners of both sides of the political divide.
Created photos of Chew in bikini and Dr Wan Azizah in hagged cloths as a beggar were circulated with both sides pointing fingers at each other purportedly conducting unfair campaining.
Both are actually desperate but taking a closer look, PKR seems more desperate in trying to retain the seat with higher majority while BN continues to ‘walk the street’ with the aim of chipping the incumbent’s majority.
In an attempt to boost its declining rating, Anwar called for a Reformasi 2 rally at Kajang stadium Friday night which was seen as a failure because the audience hardly numbered 5,000 compared to his first reformasi in 1998 where it numbered around 100,000.
The failed attempt to spur the spirit of reformasi has resulted in a more vigorous campaign on Saturday where PKR campaigners and candidate Dr Wan Azizah hitting the campaign trail as early as 4am with a special prayer (Qiamullail) at Surau Saujana Impian.
Followed by the Suboh prayer after that, the campaigners hit the trail all over the constituency right up to 10pm where the grand finale is a ‘big-bang’ at Kajang stadium.
If the ‘big-bang’ at Kajang stadium tonight can attract more than 10,000 people, then Dr Wan Azizah is expected to retain the seat with the majority the party expects – more than 6,000 votes polled by former assemblyman Lee.
However, if the Kajang stadium attracts 5,000 audience and below, then observers expect Dr Wan Azizah to get a majority of less than 3,000 which will be a true feelings of the electorate on Anwar’s Kajang Move – the thought of Kajang Move is because of personal interest.
Chew, on the other hand, has been consistent in her campaign in wanting to raise the electorate grouses to the state assembly and her plea is ‘allow her to serve and be the bridge’.
Her words on Saturday night was “I have done my best and I leave it to the people to decide.
“I had taken all the banters and beatings in the campaign trail, even from those who hit me below the belt, but I take it as part and parcel of campaining in a democratic system,” she added.
But if Chew manages to reduce Dr Wan Azizah’s majority as many expects she will, Chew has already make MCA and BN proud.
After all, she is against a giant not just a politician.
