GE13 - The eve.

I am tired and my lower back is killing me from the three days of almost not stop cruising from Penang to Kuala Terengganu, then to Kota Bahru, Kelantan where i took lots of pictures of the 'Flag Wars" that is going on with the event of the GE13. I drove my Kancil leaving Penang at 2 am. on Tueseday and arrived while the sun was rising along the East Coast of the Peninsular in the Stat of Kelantan. Driving along the coastal fringe I started my picture documentary of the hundreds if not thousands of political party flags flown along the villages on the roadsides. I talked to many about the politcal situation with whoever I chance to meet at coffee shops and roadside 'Pondoks".
The journey was pleasant as I took my time getting to where I was headed without any pressure to get anywhere in a hurry. But as the days were hot mostly my body took its toll and now I am slowly recuperating from a bad lower back pain. In Kuala Terengganu I stopped by my friends at the Number 19 Restaurant at the Batu Buruk food courtyard where i hung out allot in the past. I learned i could about the Political fever that was going on among the terengganu people. It felt like there is going to be a very close fight between the incumbent party and the opposition PAS party. My childhood friend Raja Kamarul Bahrin will be standing in for the PAS party for the first time and as far as I am concern will make a very good candidate for the people as he is very well educated and knows the people's needs better than most.
The major concern the Terengganu people has is about the standard of living being still in the lowest of the income brackets among the rest of the country. Although there are significant changes made during the last term rule by the Barisan Nasional government, the man on the street has yet to see much improvement in terms of the livelihood. Corruption is still the number one issue among most people I talked to. Those in the government are deemed too blatantly affected by corruption at all levels. The people are pretty much split over who to vote for and thus it has become much of a popularity vote rather than a party vote as the people are very much in touch with their perspective leaders. Unlike in most other states, in Terengganu the candidates are quite well known among the voters as most are from the same constituency, from the same village or Kampong.
Most people I met has their own perceptions of who or why they need to change the government and why they government should be kept as is and its is mostly on account of the uncertainty of the whole political scenario that the country has been put into. As the two political leaders standing against one another, Najib and Anwar has unresolved baggage to carry the people talked very little of these but more of what is going to happen to the Nation as a whole. I was asked of the situation in my hometown of Penang and all I could tell was that Penang is in the hands of the opposition party and will remain so but there will be a close fight no doubt. BN has placed an overkill of effort to wrest the state back but it will be a little late for them. Penangites have made up their minds and it is not going to be in favor of BN as most of the local voters are Chinese who have many an axe to grind against the incumbent party. Even the Malays living on the island state are beginning to see the errors of the BN management of the country which has cost them nothing but continued grief except for the few who have so called connections or in the pockets of respective candidates who can afford to shower gifts and money.
The Malays will never be free from their fear of the Chinese domination of the power structure in the country and it is from this fear that they will never be able to make for any significant changes towards who will rule the nation. The GE13 will be a litmus test for change but it will not be an easy move overall as most Malays living in the rural interiors are ignorant of why the need for change. These are either being well lubricated in terms of fianacial offers and benifits or are fully brainwashed by the the only news media they are exposed to which is the BN controlled medias and TV channels. They are suspicious of any changes and their fear of the opposition parties comprising of a racially mixed group will be a deter towards any vote towards change.